“More and more UK shoppers see Fairtrade as a simple, highly effective way to enable producers in the developing world to work their way out of poverty with dignity, receiving a decent return for their great produce and hard work.” (Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of Fairtrade Foundation)[4]

‘Simple’, indeed, as all we need to do is just shopping. But can it really lead people out of poverty? What is a “decent” return? What is “hard work”? How effective Fairtrade is? My study shows a picture much different from the cheerful anecdotes we usually hear or read about.

Within the last decade the Fairtrade labelling system has gained tremendous success. According to the Foundation’s 2008/2009 Annual Review, 7 out of 10 people in the UK recognise the FAIRTRADE Mark and over £700m was spent on Fairtrade certified products in 2008, a rise of over 40% since 2007. There are 489 Fairtrade Towns across the country. Together with the expansion of the brand, Fairtrade’s stories and visual language are also saturating all our possible spaces, both public (supermarkets, cafés, offices) and private (homes).

At a time when we hardly finish our grocery shopping without running into pictures of people from some developing countries, it is worthy to reassess what lies behind these images.