Waitrose is top banana - as new initiative improves the lives of growing communities

(L-R: Nathan Ansell Waitrose Chief Customer Officer, Anthony Blay, Director of Volta River Estates Ltd, Edward Akapire Head of Region West Africa Network, Fairtrade Africa and Marija Rompani Waitrose Director of Ethics and Sustainability)

• Banana farms to join Waitrose Foundation for the first time - meaning every banana sold in Waitrose will provide extra support for farming communities in Africa and South America
• As well as earning a fairer price and the Fairtrade Premium, communities will benefit from additional investment, funded by the Waitrose Foundation to improve their livelihoods
• Waitrose is closing the living wage gap for banana farm workers on plantations, having delivered on its 2027 commitment two years early

Waitrose is today announcing a major boost for the communities who grow the supermarket’s most popular item - the banana.

For the first time Waitrose bananas, which will continue to be certified as Fairtrade, will also join the Waitrose Foundation, which exists to create better livelihoods for workers and sustainable supply chains globally. With this new partnership, over 2p of every £1 spent on bananas will go to the growing communities, which is over and above the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Fairtrade Premium. The projects which will benefit the local communities include; climate change adaptation, enhancing food and water security and improving soil fertility, which are collectively chosen by individual committees.

Bananas are the top selling product in Waitrose - added to shoppers baskets every second, meaning that many of the supermarket's customers will be helping to make a direct difference to these growing communities.

The Waitrose Foundation has just celebrated its 20 year anniversary, and during that time has given back £25m to communities in the Waitrose supply chain. It operates in 10 countries across two continents supplying fruit, vegetables, flowers and wine, with workers helping to decide how Foundation funds should be spent.  Some of the most recent projects have involved installing energy efficient cooking stoves, creche facilities and microloans for Kenyan flower farms.

Charlotte Di Cello, Waitrose Chief Commercial Officer and Chair of Waitrose Foundation Global Board: “The Waitrose Foundation label on over 200 products, represents our commitment to building sustainable livelihoods within many of the most challenged parts of global agriculture. We’re proud to announce this new partnership with Fairtrade, which coincides with the recent celebration of our Waitrose Foundation’s 20th anniversary and over £25m generated to date. This partnership will continue our strong relationship with Fairtrade, helping support our global farms and their communities.

“Feel good about eating a Waitrose banana, as not only is it one of your 30 plant varieties a week, it also tangibly helps improve the lives of people too.”

Kerrina Thorogood, Partnerships Director at the Fairtrade Foundation said; “At Fairtrade, we are proud of our longstanding partnership with Waitrose and are pleased to strengthen this further via the Waitrose Foundation and our shared commitment to banana farmers and workers. Growing the world’s most popular fruit, banana farmers and workers play a vital role in ensuring food security and wellbeing for millions of families worldwide. Yet they face mounting challenges – from rising production costs and climate change to pests, diseases, biodiversity loss, and inadequate infrastructure – all of which threaten their livelihoods. As part of our new partnership, Waitrose Foundation’s investment in the Sustainable Banana Programme will help to further strengthen the resilience and long-term viability of smallholder banana farmers and plantation workers.”

Waitrose commitment to 100% Fairtrade certified bananas and improved livelihood projects on the ground is further complemented by paying the living wage differential on bananas from all its plantations, delivering on its 2027 industry commitment two years early. The existing commitment to Fairtrade certified bananas ensures a Minimum Price and additional Fairtrade Premium goes to the producer groups. The  additional programmatic activity, supported by Waitrose Foundation, will cover four critical areas of work: improving sustainable production of bananas, building the climate resilience of smallholder farmers, improving farm biodiversity to enhance soil health and yields, and supporting smallholders with data management and market access.

Notes to Editors

Waitrose has exclusively sold Fairtrade certified bananas since 2010. The supermarket sells over 200 Fairtrade products, including coffee, tea, sugar and chocolate.

About the Waitrose Foundation

• The Foundation exists to create better livelihoods for workers and their families, stronger communities and sustainable supply chains for Waitrose and supply partners across the world. 
• We are the only UK supermarket with a dedicated worker-led supply chain programme, the Waitrose Foundation. By investing back into the communities that grow, pick and pack our produce, the Waitrose Foundation helps to improve livelihoods with every sale.
• Every time you buy a Foundation product, 2% of the sale is invested back into the community it came from. Local worker committees decide how best to spend the money, with funds going towards everything from health clinics and libraries to emergency food parcels, hygiene kits and hardship funds. 
• The Foundation initially began in South Africa, and is now in operation in 10 countries globally; including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Namibia, Costa Rica and most recently (since 2021): Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. 
• There are c. 212 Foundation products (depending on seasonality) across fresh produce and horticulture, including grapes, berries, stone fruit, exotic fruit, roses, veg and salad.

About Waitrose & Partners

Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for over 120 years and offers extraordinary products in our 317 shops and on Waitrose.com. Inspiring food discovery, our expert Partners run almost 800 specialist food service counters in store, where customers can shop a variety of the best quality meat, fresh fish, dry aged beef, sushi, as well as cheese. Our Beer, Wine and Spirits team features the largest number of Masters of Wine of any UK supermarket and we sell nearly 3,000 different wines, beers, ciders, spirits as well as no and low drinks in our shops, on Waitrose.com and Waitrose Cellar. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.

Example case studies (taken from the Waitrose Foundation Report 2024/25):

East Africa 

• Beehives Workers at Bohemian flower farm used their Foundation funding to set up 200 beehives, establishing an alternative income project. The farm workers collectively harvest 8,000kgs of honey and sell it locally. With the earnings, some of the profits are reinvested back into the programme for further development. So far, 2,300 workers have started to benefit financially from the additional income.
• Winchester Farm Crèche The crèche at Winchester farm has the capacity for 30 babies, enabling mothers working on the farm to return to work with their babies in a safe environment. The crèche was developed with Fairtrade funds, and support from the Waitrose Foundation was used to provide equipment and an outdoor play area. 

Southern Africa

• At Habata Boerdery, a Foundation grape growing partner, the worker committee established a Green Garden initiative. The programme cultivates fresh vegetables, donating a portion to vulnerable groups such as the elderly, and selling the surplus to the community. The project not only supports food security but proceeds from the sale fund life skills workshops which empower local teenagers with tools for personal growth and resilience. 

Ghana

• Autor Presby School Water The school previously faced unreliable water access, with existing infrastructure only allowing water access once per week. The Foundation installed two water tanks with taps, which were connected to mains water. This will ensure a safe and steady supply of water, improving hygiene and supporting students to continue their studies. 
• Kordiabe Community Water Our mango farming communities faced challenges accessing clean water due to the community’s expansion, and the reliance on streams led to waterborne diseases. The Foundation supported the drilling of a borehole and installation of a pump which connected to a reservoir, providing a sustainable and reliable water source that will improve public health and enhance productivity with less time spent collecting water.