UTZ Certified follows a product from farmer to cup by using a tracing program. Farmers and cooperatives use the UTZ Certified certification to show that they grow coffee in a way that respects the environment and the people who work on their plantations. The certification gives them a better negotiating position in the worldwide trade market, because many coffee brands are specifically looking for certified ingredients. The required code of conduct for the certification UTZ Certified contains both social and ecological criteria. Brands that get 90% of their coffee from certified plantations are allowed to use the UTZ Certified logo.
 
At the moment, UTZ Certified is working on expanding its activities to other products. In October 2007 it started an initiative for a more sustainable cocoa chain. More products will follow soon. For more information on UTZ Certified click here.
 

Fairfood in relation to UTZ Certified
Through the Product Fairness investigation, Fairfood asks brand owners a number of set questions.
A number of these questions match UTZ Certified criteria, for instance the questions concerning child labour, working hours, forced labour, discrimination and air pollution. For cocoa, standards are still under development.
 
When assessing products carrying the UTZ Certified logo, brand owners no longer have to answer these questions. Fairfood considers buying products from UTZ Certified plantations to be a possible solution for increasing product sustainability.