(DFID) Food for thought: putting more ethical products from Africa on our shelves

New African products will appear on supermarket shelves thanks to a new fund formally launched today by Trade and Development Minister, Gareth Thomas.

The FRICH (Food Retail Industry Challenge fund) will support six projects to bring a range of new tea, coffees and fruit juices from across Africa to the UK, with a total investment of around £3 million. Projects are co funded by FRICH and the companies implementing them.

The six companies chosen to receive funding so far are:

* Blue Skies (fruit juice from Ghana)
* Waitrose LEAF (environmentally-sustainable fruit and vegetables)
* The Co-Operative Group (tea from Kenya)
* Sainsbury's (coffees from Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo)
* Betty's and Taylors of Harrogate (tea from Rwanda)
* Cafedirect (hot drinks from Sao Tome and Tanzania)

Research shows nearly three-quarters of consumers in the UK want to reduce poverty through their shopping choices. However, statistics show that we still spend only 3 percent of our food shopping budget on products from developing countries. The new funding will help bridge this gap and ensure that everyone involved gets a fair deal.

The launch of the first six FRICH projects takes place during the first ever World Trade Week in the UK (8th-14th June), an event to highlight the importance of trade as a tool for recovery from the global economic downturn.

Speaking at the launch of FRICH today, Minister for Trade and Development Gareth Thomas said:

"Seven out of ten Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and the ability to trade with a large UK retailer will make a big difference to farmers across the continent.

"I am delighted to see that all of the retailers chosen to receive FRICH funding are putting the money to good use, producing an exciting new range of African products which will enable UK consumers to help developing countries with their shopping even more.

"This week is the first ever World Trade Week in the UK, and the work that these companies are doing is a perfect example of how trade can offer a vital route out of poverty to some of the world's poorest people."