The UK’s sweet tooth just got a sustainable kick as Tate & Lyle announces that its sugar sold in shops is to be Fairtrade accredited.

This will make the company the biggest UK firm to carry the label.

First of its Fairtrade products to appear on supermarket shelves will be granulated white cane sugar, but the household brand says it expects its entire retail range to follow by the end of 2009.

The first Tate & Lyle sugar to be given the accreditation comes from Belize, where the company has been trading for 35 years.  To earn a Fairtrade label, it must pay local producers a fair price and invest further to improve working conditions and local sustainability.

The firm says it will add £60m to the value of Fairtrade sugar inside a year.

The major scale of Tate & Lyle’s conversion to Fairtrade sugar has involved two years of planning. The company has worked in partnership with the UK-based Fairtrade Foundation and its international organisation to help cane farmers in Northern Belize meet Fairtrade standards. This includes working with the sole sugar processor in the country, Belize Sugar Industries, and over 6,000 smallholder farmers, represented by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association.

Tate & Lyle's announcement coincides with Fairtrade Fortnight in the UK - from 25th February to 11th March - which aims to raise general awareness.