(3BL Media) OAKLAND, Calif. (March 6, 2012) – Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, today reports new data revealing that sales of Fair Trade Certified™ products grew a whopping 75 percent between Q1 and Q4 last year.

The data, from SPINS LLC, indicates that sales of Fair Trade Certified products grew fastest in the mass merchant – mainstream grocery, food and drug – channel, which saw a 95 percent increase in Fair Trade Certified product sales in 2011.

This overall growth in sales was largely driven by nationally-distributed brands increasing their commitment to Fair Trade.

The frozen desserts category grew 394 percent, driven in part by brands like Ben & Jerry’s; Honest Tea increased its Fair Trade Certified offerings, which helped grow ready-to-drink beverages by 37 percent; cookies, snack bars and energy bars grew more than tenfold, led by the success of companies like LÄRABAR; and the spice category gr