February 24th will see the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. It’s hard not to agree that buying Fairtrade products is the right thing to do, but we’re also aware that it’s normally more expensive.
With the price of basic grocery products soaring over the past year, we find ourselves trying to cut back and Fairtrade ends up costing us more.Here are a few tips from mySupermarket for how you can support Fairtrade, without hurting your wallet.
1. Always look out for find Fairtrade products on special offer. With over 2000 different Fairtrade products on the market, online shoppers are finding more and more choice. Generally speaking, the more Fairtrade products sold, the better your chances of bagging a Fairtrade bargain. Sainsbury’s currently offers the widest range of Fairtrade products with 83 in stock. ASDA has 80, Tesco has 65 and Ocado has 46.
2. Look out for long life Fairtrade products on special offer and buy in bulk.
- Sainsbury’s Organic Fairtrade Malbec Wine (750ml) is down to £4.99 – that’s cheaper than many other Malbec wines.
- ASDA Extra Special Fairtrade Organic Coffee (227g) – both Caffeinated and Decaf – are at 2 for £3, so worth stocking up if you enjoy good coffee.
- Green & Black’s Fairtrade Organic Cocoa Powder (125g) is down to £1.11 at Ocado, while ASDA has it as low as £1.
- And for snacks, Traidcraft Geobar Raisin and Chocolate Fairtrade Snack Bars (6×35g) are down to £1.48 in Tesco – that’s cheaper than Kellogg’s Special K Choc Chip bars.
3. When it comes to fresh produce like fruit, vegetables and dairy products, there are normally a few on special offer, that don’t cost much more than the regular stuff (sometimes they even cost less).
4. Know which mySupermarket Departments to check. 57% of Fairtrade products are in the Drinks Dept – there’s a wide range of coffee, tea and cocoa products. 14% are in Tins, Jars and Cooking and Fruit & Veg constitutes 11%.
5. You won’t always find Fairtrade products you like on Special Offer. In such a case, the best way to support Fairtrade without hurting the wallet is to try to save money elsewhere in your trolley and use the extra cash to squeeze in a couple of Fairtrade products. With mySupermarket’s Trolley Checker, you can save up to 20% by swapping some of your chosen products with others that are similar but better value. On an average trolley, that can come to around £15 of potential savings – more than enough to go towards some Fairtrade products.
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Click to buy Fairtrade products at Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s or Ocado.
February 23, 2008 at 10:58 am
Great tips thanks. Mysupermarket is a great website to compare prices on Fairtrade goods…Keep up the good work!