Sainsbury’s plans to double its Fairtrade business to £500m in the next five years.

Last year, £1 in every £4 spent on Fairtrade in the UK was spent at a Sainsbury’s store, translating into £276m sales for the supermarket.

The grocer plans to introduce more Fairtrade lines in order to increase sales to £500m by 2015. This year all of its boxed Easter eggs will be Fairtrade.

Sainsbury’s is also urging customers to make their way through 26 million Fairtrade bananas over the next two weeks - one million more than last year - as Fairtrade Fortnight begins. Around £150,000 will be generated in Fairtrade premiums by the grocer’s banana sales over the fortnight.

Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said: “Buying Fairtrade is a great way to provide customers with the best of both worlds – ethically sourced products and affordable prices.

“We are extremely proud of our Fairtrade credentials, and believe strongly that despite a current focus on price and value, shoppers are keen to know that producers are getting a fair deal also. We are proud to announce our continued commitment to Fairtrade and hope to grow this part of our business to half a billion pounds within the next five years.”

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