Kraft Update from the Global Poverty Project:

Kraft has promised to honour Cadbury’s current commitments to use Fairtrade cocoa beans in the dairy milk range now being sold in the UK, New Zealand, Australian and Canada.

Our campaign to Tell Kraft: “Keep Cadbury’s Commitment” has been a great success: messages from over 1,300 supporters were passed on to the CEO of Kraft, Irene Rosenfeld.

Despite this success, our work is not yet over.

Kraft has not confirmed whether they will continue Cadbury’s ongoing talks to expand its use of Fairtrade cocoa beans to other products.

There is additional concern that Kraft’s current commitment may be time limited, with the possibility that Kraft may abandon the commitment when existing contracts end— a commitment that provided secure and sustainable livelihoods to cocoa farmers, empowering them to tackle poverty in their communities.

The Global Poverty Project team will be monitoring Kraft’s future plans to ensure Cadbury’s promise to keep and expand Fairtrade is honoured.

Your support is greatly appreciated and highly valuable. We will keep you up to date on this matter.

Keep Kraft Accountable

From the Global Poverty Project:

Before Kraft’s take-over bid, Cadbury had made one of the largest Fairtrade commitments – their whole Dairy Milk range would go Fairtrade by Easter 2010.

Cadbury estimate that by 2018 their Fairtrade partnership and Cadbury Cocoa Partnership will make a demonstrable difference to the lives of around half a million cocoa farmers.

We need your help to hold Kraft to Cadbury’s important commitments.

On Tuesday 19 January 2010, the Cadbury board agreed to recommend a $19.6 billion bid by Kraft to shareholders, paving the way for a takeover.

In 2009, Cadbury launched its commitment to ensuring that more and more of their cocoa is ethically sourced through its partnership with Fairtrade.

The Fairtrade commitments made by Cadbury are already assisting cocoa farmers, their families and their communities to secure their livelihoods and tackle poverty, and will assist more cocoa farmers into the future.

Tuesday’s take-over bid raises concerns over the future of Cadbury’s commitment to Fairtrade products.

Kraft currently do not subscribe to sourcing their products from Fairtrade. If Kraft renege on Cadbury’s promises it will be a huge backwards step for the world’s poor.

So…
Will Kraft keep Cadbury Dairy Milk as a Fairtrade product?
Will they keep Cadbury’s future commitments to introduce Fairtrade to other products?

Keep Kraft to Cadbury’s Commitments

It is important that Kraft maintain Cadbury’s commitment to providing secure and sustainable livelihoods to cocoa farmers that will enable them to tackle poverty in their communities.

Send your words of encouragement to Kraft’s CEO, Irene Rosenfeld

And we will present everyone’s views to the CEO of Kraft, demonstrating the global support for Cadbury’s Fairtrade commitment and encourage Kraft to maintain and extend these commitments.

Thanks,
The Global Poverty Project