Fairtrade Maltesers

I'm rather late catching up with this, and it has little connection with Neath or even Wales, but I couldn't resist a silly picture involving a Liberal Democrat MP (in this case, Eastbourne's Stephen Lloyd, on the right in the picture).

Green Liberal Democrats write: 

"Maltesers have long been a chocoholic favourite and have recently been spotted with the Fairtrade Mark on the packets. This gives a guarantee that the farmers growing the cocoa beans are getting a fair deal. 

"To celebrate the new status Fairtrade Eastbourne joined Eastbourne mascot Barnaby the Bee and MP Stephen Lloyd on the seafront to enjoy some of the sweets. "'When a company as big as Mars thinks it is worth their while to invest in Fairtrade it is a huge endorsement of the Fairtrade movement in Eastbourne and across the UK. Choosing Fairtrade makes a real difference directly to the lives of many impoverished people. And Barnaby says the chocolate's good too!' said Stephen. 

"Maltesers are the first Fairtrade product from the Mars company. The cocoa will come from cooperatives in West Africa and this move will contribute over $1 million in annual Fairtrade premiums for investment in community, business and environmental projects. 

"'Over 5 billion Maltesers are eaten in the UK each year and I know some chocolate lovers will be worried about any changes to the Maltesers taste, but it's still the same. The only difference is that the producers are now assured sustainable development from a more reliable price.' said Matt Wilkinson from Fairtrade Eastbourne."

I would add only that Fairtrade is not the only route to ethical chocolate production, as Hotel Chocolat points out.