Nestlé UK & Ireland has gained Fairtrade certification for its 2-finger Kit Kat, as a result of which, the company will now buy an additional 5,300 tons of sustainable cocoa from Fairtrade farmer co-operatives in the Ivory Coast.
With the certification, 800 million Kit Kat bars a year will bear the Fairtrade mark from January 2013.
Nestlé noted that it will now purchase sustainable cocoa from nine additional farmer co-operatives in the Ivory Coast, which represent about 4,500 farmers.
Apart from receiving a price to cover the costs of sustainable production, the farmers will also be offered additional Fairtrade premium to invest in business development projects or community building activities of their choice such as improving healthcare and schools.
These nine new co-operatives will become a part of Nestlé Cocoa Plan - an initiative launched in 2009 by Nestlé which seeks to invest £65m over 10 years in plant science and sustainability initiatives to help small scale cocoa farmers globally.
Kit Kat, the chocolate biscuit bar, received the Fairtrade certification in January 2010 for its 4-finger Kit Kat.
Nestlé Confectionery UK & Ireland managing director Ciaran Sullivan said that from January 2013, about 1.2 billion Kit Kats will carry the mark on 2 and 4 finger bars, supporting over 7,000 farmers.
"Farmers in the Nestlé Cocoa Plan receive benefits such as new plantlets, farmer training and new schools for their communities," Sullivan added.
Fairtrade Foundation interim executive director Mike Gidney said that with the 2-finger Kit Kat receiving certification, Fairtrade will be able to work with Nestlé to offer further benefits to cocoa farming communities in the Ivory Coast.
Till date, the Nestlé Cocoa Plan has been introduced in the Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Indonesia, Ghana, and Venezuela, and the company plans to extend it to other Latin American countries in the future.
Fairtrade International is an organisation which seeks to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability, and it coordinates Fairtrade labelling at an international level.
