Fairtrade Standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations

The Fairtrade Standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations applies to small-scale farming organisations that supply Fairtrade products.

Principles underlying this Standard

Members must be small-scale producers. The majority of the members of the organisation must be smallholders who don’t depend on hired workers all the time, but run their farm mainly by using their own and their family’s labour.

Democracy. All members have a voice and vote in the decision-making process of the organisation. Members also decide collectively how to use the Fairtrade Premium to best suit their needs.

Enabling strong producer organisations. The Standard provides a framework for small-scale producers to build resilient and inclusive organisations, improve their farming performance, and generate more benefits for their members and their communities

Download the Standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations EN ES FR PT

It applies to all Fairtrade Small-scale Producer Organisations as of 1 July 2019. For organisations certified before this date, transition periods apply as specified in the Standard. This version supersedes all previous versions.

Additional information

  • List of additional documents

Standard for Contract Production

This standard is designed for small-scale producers who are not yet democratically organised. As a temporary measure, they can join Fairtrade if they have a partnership with an organisation, such as an exporter or a civil society organisation, that will assist them in forming an independent organisation.

The Contract Production Standard primarily applies to cocoa in the Pacific region, rice and cotton in India, and cotton and dried fruit in Pakistan. It is also extended to selected crops grown in rotation with cotton and rice in India and Pakistan.

Download the Contract Production Standard EN ES FR

It applies to all contract production operators certified by Fairtrade and is valid from 1 March 2014. It came into force on 1 April 2014 and is applied to all audits from that date onward. This version supersedes all previous versions.

Additional information

  • Additional documents

Product-specific standards

Additional Standards apply to organisations supplying particular products and to the companies that trade with them. These work in combination with main Standards for Small-scale Producer Organisations or Contract Production, and the Trader Standard which outlines the terms of trade.

Cane sugar

Product standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations 

Covers cane sugar and secondary products and their derivatives, such as molasses, bagasse, bagasse ash, and filter cake; derivatives of secondary products such as rum produced with molasses and bio-plastics made from bagasse.

Fairtrade Standard for Cane Sugar

  • Current version

Cereals

Product Standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations and Contract Production

Covers all varieties of cereals for which Fairtrade prices exist, such as fonio, rice, quinoa, amaranth, and millet. Secondary products and their derivatives are also covered. For Contract Production organisations, only rice from India, and amaranth as rotational crop are covered. 

Fairtrade Standard for Cereals

  • Current standard

  • Implementation or improvement of environmentally sustainable production and processing modes for quinoa

Cotton and other fibre crops for small-scale producer organisations and contract production 

Covers seed cotton, which includes the seeds and fibre of all commercially grown species of the cotton plant. For Contract Production, only cotton from India and Pakistan is covered.

Fairtrade Standard for Fibre Crops

  • Current standard

Cocoa

For small-scale producer organisations and contract production
Covers cocoa beans and processed cocoa, as well as secondary products and their derivates such as cocoa beans, cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder. For Contract Production, only cocoa products from the Pacific region are covered.

Visit the standard

Fresh fruit

Product Standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations 

Covers all fresh fruit for which Fairtrade Minimum Prices exist. This includes bananas, mangoes, pineapples, wine grapes and other fresh fruit in their primary form, sold for export and for further processing.

Fairtrade Standard for Fresh Fruit

  • Current standard

  • Main standard changes

Fresh vegetables for small-scale producer organisations and contract production. 

Covers all varieties of fresh vegetables, edible roots, and tubers and pulses for which Fairtrade Minimum Prices exist. This includes palm, green beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and others. For Contract Production, this standard applies to vegetables produced as rotational crops by cotton and rice producers in India, and cotton producers in Pakistan.

Fairtrade Standard for Vegetables

  • Current standard

Herbs, herbal teas and spices

Product Standard for Small-scale Producer Organisations and Contract Production

Covers herbs, herbal teas and spices included in the Fairtrade herbs and spices list and produced within Fairtrade's geographical scope. For Contract Production, it includes herbs and spices produced as rotational crops by cotton and rice producers in India, and cotton producers in Pakistan.

If a product is also covered by another Fairtrade product Standard, the respective Standard applies and the product cannot be certified as a herb, herbal tea or spice. For the camelia sinensis plant please refer to the Fairtrade Tea Standard.

Herbs, herbal teas and spices

  • Current standard

  • Fairtrade Herbs and Spices list

Honey for small-scale producer organisations

Covers honey as well as secondary products and derivatives produced in the country of origin, such as propolis, beeswax, and others.

Fairtrade Standard for Honey

  • Fairtrade Standard for Honey

  • Quality guidance for Fairtrade honey

Nuts for small-scale producer organisations and contract production

Covers nuts, such as almonds, cashew nuts, macadamia, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and others. For Contract Production, the standard covers peanuts when grown as a rotational crop by cotton and rice producers in India, and cotton producers in Pakistan. 

Fairtrade Standard for Nuts

  • Fairtrade Standard for Nuts

Oilseeds and oleaginous fruit for small-scale producer organisations and contract production


Covers oilseeds and oleaginous fruit, including coconuts, olives and olive oil, sesame seed, shea kernels, flax seed, and soybeans for human consumption. For Contract Production, the standard covers soybeans, sesame and flax seed when grown as rotational crops by cotton and rice producers in India, and cotton producers in Pakistan.

Fairtrade Standard for Oilseeds and Oleaginous Fruit

  • Fartrade standard Fairtrade Standard for Oilseeds and Oleaginous Fruit

Prepared and preserved fruit and vegetables for small-scale producer organisations and contract production


Covers all dried fruits and vegetables and fruit juices for which Fairtrade Minimum Prices exist, such as dried dates, mangoes, raisins, tomatoes, orange juice, guava pulp and others. For Contract Production, this standard is applicable to the production of dried fruit in Pakistan by operators who are already Fairtrade certified for another product. For traders, the Standard also covers fruit originally certified under the Fresh Fruit Standard which has been further processed.

  • Fairtrade Standard for Prepared and Preserved Fruit and Vegetables

Secondary products

Secondary products and their derivatives have been included in the scope of Fairtrade certification. For further information please see the explanatory note for secondary Fairtrade products and the list of secondary Fairtrade products.

Are you looking for previous standard versions or additional documents? Please contact us at standards-pricing@fairtrade.net