Baking & Snack - October 2008 - 55

FAIR TRADE

"The benefits of using FTC ingredients are pretty
obvious," said Tony Moore, chief flavorist, director of
product development, A.M. Todd Ingredients & Flavors.
Mr. Moore's company, Moore Organics, was acquired by
A.M. Todd, Kalamazoo, MI, in 2007. "I don't think you
can open any trade magazine or newspaper and not read
about how consumers are looking for some sign of social
responsibility in the products they purchase," he said.
Moore Organics, previously a family-owned business,
got into Fair Trade as a way to infuse the family's personal
beliefs into their business. "What started off as my family's
personal ethics, A.M. Todd has continued that investment,
which shows a lot of its integrity," Mr. Moore said.
Moore Organics worked with TransFair to find a way
to offer flavoring extracts from raw materials such as FTC
tea leaves and coffee beans in a commercial format for
food and beverage manufacturers. A range of tea, coffee and cocoa extracts is now sold under A.M. Todd's
Moreganics brand.
Wholesome Sweeteners, Sugar Land, TX, is a pioneer
in FTC organic and natural sugars and honey. The organic and natural sweetener company was formed in 2001 as
a joint venture between Imperial Sugar and Edward Billington & Son, a diversified agriculture and food compa-

Making the Mark
Composite products can carry the traditional
Fair Trade Certified label if all ingredients
that can be FTC are FTC, the FTC ingredient(s)
constitutes more than 50% of the dry weight of
the product and no formulation exemption has
been issued.
Composite products with less
than an aggregate of 50%, if
the significant ingredient is
certified and no exemptions
are necessary, can carry the
Fair Trade Certified Ingredient
Specific mark.
Composite products that
qualify for the Ingredient Specific mark and
contain more than one ingredient may bear the
Fair Trade Certified Ingredients mark.

ny based in the United Kingdom. "When we first came to
the US from the UK, we had been involved in Fair Trade
and organic sugars for some time," said Pauline McKee,
vice-president of marketing, Wholesome Sweeteners.
"We were quite surprised that there was no such thing as
Fair Trade sugars in the US. We worked with TransFair
for nearly three years to try and trailblaze the introduction of Fair Trade sugar into the US. We launched the

BAKING & SNACK / October 2008

ᮢ The ingredients used in chocolate such as cane sugar, cocoa mass and
cocoa butter are Fair Trade products.

very first FTC sugar in 2005," she continued.
The sugar, Ms. McKee said, was sourced from Malawi, one of poorest countries in the world. This year, the
farming cooperative there used the money gained from
its partnership with Wholesome Sweeteners to dig a water well. According to Ms. McKee, prior to the well, the
women were walking considerable distances to obtain
water every day. "It is these stories that really make you
get up and come to work every day," she said.
About 90% of its products are now FTC. "Our principle is that you can have a successful business model and
still be a good custodian of the planet," Ms. McKee said.
Wholesome Sweeteners recently launched the first FTC
organic honey products after working closely with TransFair to introduce the category for Fair Trade certification.
Although the categories for Fair Trade are limited in
the US, there has been an uptick in Fair Trade sales. "Sales
are growing, but from a small base," Ms. McKee said.
"Consumers are choosing to make a statement and do
something with their dollar when they make a purchase.
For bakers, using Fair Trade ingredients helps differentiate their produces and create choices for consumers."
Virginia Dare, Brooklyn, NY, launched its Fair Trade
vanilla program a few years ago, according to Rick
Brownell, vice-president of vanilla at Virginia Dare. The
company is also actively pursuing Fair Trade certification
of tea extracts and concentrates.
"I became passionate about Fair Trade vanilla after visiting Madagascar and realizing how much of a difference
Fair Trade could make in the lives of many, many people
there," Mr. Brownell said. "Fair Trade encompasses several
major principles. The basic underlying theme is to ensure
that growers receive a fair price for their products to enable them to sustain production in the future and provide
an acceptable standard of living including adequate health
care, education, clothing and shelter," Mr. Brownell continued. "It also requires safe working conditions and prevents the exploitation of women and children."
Barry Callebaut, Chicago, IL, offers Fair Trade cocoa and
chocolate products that are manufactured according to the
same recipes and in the same way as traditional cocoa and
chocolate products. The ingredients such as cane sugar,
cocoa mass and cocoa butter are Fair Trade products.

Baking & Snack - October 2008

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