Mars announces collaboration with Fairtrade International

MT. OLIVE, N.J., and BONN, Del. — Mars Chocolate and Fairtrade International will introduce the first Fairtrade-labeled Mars product.

As part of the collaboration, the first Mars product to carry the Fairtrade mark will be Maltesers, which will arrive in U.K. and Ireland stores in 2012. This initial phase of the agreement will contribute more than $1 million annually in Fairtrade premium funds for cocoa farmers to invest in their farms, business organizations and communities.

"This agreement is a big step towards fulfilling our shared mission to empower farmers to build vibrant, sustainable livelihoods, and we're very excited to work with Fairtrade on ways to enable commodity certification to scale across the entire industry," Mars Global Chocolate VP Barry Parkin said. "This commitment is our recognition of Fairtrade's history of dedication to smallholder farmers and their efforts to enable farmer productivity and income improvements."