The Fair Trade movement, which materialized in the 1960s, acts to improve the livelihoods of producers in developing countries. It meets this objective by addressing the structural inequalities characteristic of North-South relations. It ensures producers a price greater than the world market price, and further safeguards against market instability (Friedman 2010). Emanating from fair trade efforts is what could be defined as the ethical trade movement. Similar to fair trade, its focus is directed toward improving the living standards of developing nation’s producers. However, ethical trade is considered a more generic term when compared with fair trade, and consequently the label is less well defined. Increasingly, fair trade has been associated with the empowerment of producers. However, Le Mare (2012) challenges one to be critical about what the term empowerment truly comprises. Furthermore, Friedberg (2010) implies that ethical standards are themselves fetishized. Thus, this essay will argue that the free trade and ethical movement both have the ability to obscure truths regarding the realities experienced by producers in developing countries.

The concept of ethicality within the market-based political movement of fair trade emerged with rising consumer consciousness. Furthermore, increasing globalisation in a predominantly capitalist world has provoked anxiety amongst many. For instance, consumer uncertainty surrounding food production has resulted in anxieties