MPs call for fair trade labelling

MPs say the labels should go on everything from bananas to T-shirts

Labels should be put on everything from bananas to T-shirts to show how much people in the developing world were paid to produce them, MPs have said.

The call has come from the House of Commons International Development Committee, which wants the government to study whether it would be possible.

Its report says customers should be able to know if the products they are buying are the result of exploitation.

It also wants the government to appoint an official to promote fair trade.

'Below standards'

The committee said that while the fair trade movement has taken off in many high street stores, the performance of some large retailers "falls well below standards we consider acceptable".

It wants the government to commission research on the feasibility of a labelling scheme which will force all retailers to show how much they paid farmers and workers in the developing world for each particular product.

"Supermarkets already know how much farmers are paid for each kilogram of fruit or vegetable they sell, and companies know how much they pay per kilogram of coffee, or for each T-shift," said the report.

"Passing this information on to consumers should not be a difficult task."