Fairtrade has its critics some of whom claim that farmers are encouraged to produce quantity rather than quality.
In practice, however, the opposite is the case.
If consumers do not like the product, then they will not buy it again.
Other critics have made the case that Fairtrade is an excuse for retailers increasing prices in order to ride on customers good intentions, despite the fact that the majority of Fairtrade products are not any more expensive than leading brands.
Sainsburys, as a case in point, absorbed the extra costs of selling Fairtrade bananas, as opposed to passing the costs on to the consumer .
Some critics espouse that there is a contradiction between purchasing Fairtrade and the wish to cut dowm food miles, that is, the distance the food travels.
Yes, most Fairtrade products, such as, coffee, tea, cotton, chocolate, bananas and pineapples are imported; 99% arrive by sea, the greenest type of freight transport.
So should you be drinking a cup of Fairtrade tea, about 90% of the carbon emissions are from boiling the kettle.
Whatever the critics say, Fairtrade is better than doing nothing and many people have benefited and benefit as a result.