Trouble brewing Kenya pulls tea producers out of ethical label scheme

The government of Kenya has told its tea factories to stop working with the Rainforest Alliance, saying the costs involved in securing the ethical label don't add up for farmers.

- Zoe Wood

The non-profit organisation is one of the most recognisable certification schemes in the world, with its green frog logo on food and drinks packaging letting consumers know they "can feel confident that these products support a better world".

However, the world's third-largest tea producer has now ordered its factories to suspend certification work because the cost is adding to the financial strain on smallholders.

About half the tea consumed in the UK comes from Kenya. A recent Fairtrade Foundation poll found only one in five tea workers and farmers in the country is earning enough each month to support their families with essentials.

In a memo issued after a tea industry summit, Paul Ronoh, Kenya's principal secretary for agriculture, said the "burden of implementation" of the Rainforest Alliance scheme was vested on factories and then "cascaded to the tea farmers and growers". This cost "ordinarily should be met by the customers", he said.