There are a number of logos you might find on foodstuffs these days - so what are they?
Fairtrade: The product meets the Fairtrade Foundation's minimum fairtrade price. This will be higher than market price and acts as a safety net for farmers to ensure their trade is sustainable. (A third of all bananas and 40% of sugar old in the UK are now Fairtrade.) Note: other retailers may promote similar practices without using the logo (e.g. Traidcraft's handicrafts cannot be certified because of the small scale of the community projects, and Hotel Chocolat products do not carry it becasue the company owns its own plantations and runs its own programme guaranteeing farmers a fixed, fair price for their cocoa).
Rainforest Alliance: Found on chocolate, tea, coffe, bananas, pineapples plus some plants and household items. Has an environmental slant, promoting wildlife preservation and efforts to curb climate change and deforestation.
Soil Association: Certified products (from fruit and veg to dairy and beauty) are organic and produced with animal welfare in mind.
Good Housekeeping, February 2014
