McFairTrade coffee coming to the UK

Burger giant McDonald’s has announced plans to sell exclusively Fair Trade coffee in all of its UK franchises.

The plan will benefit coffee farmers in Central and South America and the deal is initially worth almost £1 million.

McDonald’s sells some 143,000 cups of coffee daily in its 1,200 UK outlets and the company is considering making the switch to Fair Trade coffee in the rest of European at a later date.

Crops production must meet certain ethical and environmental standards to be considered Fairly Traded. The McDonald’s coffee will be certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

In 2005 the multinational decided to sell Fair Trade organic coffee in its New England restaurants.

Sam Bond