Bishops challenge supermarket anti-faith Easter agenda

Real Easter Egg

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The Bishop of Middleton is calling on congregations to buy the Real Easter Egg in 2012 after supermarkets failed to order sufficient quantities of the UK’s only faith-based Easter egg, despite overwhelming demand from their Christian customers last Easter.

The Real Easter Egg is the first and only Fairtrade Easter egg to explain the Easter story on the box and give money to charity. It was launched last year as a mail order gift after the supermarkets initially turned it down. Churches and schools joined a campaign to establish the egg by placing tens of thousands of orders through mail order which were delivered by Traidcraft.

Morrison’s, Booths, Coop and Waitrose later changed their mind and decided to trial The Real Easter Egg for Easter 2011. They all sold out within days with people walking past Cadbury’s two-for-one offers. Waitrose was inundated with online orders for hundreds of eggs as millions of Christians searched for the only remaining supplies.

With such demand and quick sell outs Manchester based Meaningful Chocolate Company, who manufacture The Real Easter Egg, expected a significant increase in the numbers ordered by supermarkets. However, one major retailer has decided to reduce their order and in many of the UK’s biggest towns there will only be a handful of eggs available to buy off the supermarket shelves when they go on sale in February.

A spokesperson, from the Meaningful Chocolate Company, said: “Unlike other faiths, which are catered for by the biggest chains, Christians will struggle to find anything connecting Jesus with the major Festival of Easter on the supermarket shelves. Out of the 80 million Easter eggs on sale this year nearly all will be secular, made from non-Fairtrade chocolate and with no charitable donation.”

The Bishop of Oxford, who chairs the Church of England’s Board of Education, said; “There seems to be a clear cut agenda to keep credible products, with any connection to Christianity, off the shelves. But it is vitally important that our children are not cheated of the chance to hear the Easter story. Last year churches and schools campaigned with their wallets and ordered tens of thousands online and complained to supermarkets which were not stocking enough. If we have to continue to campaign to establish The Real Easter Egg by placing orders online or supporting independent retailers, then so be it.”

The Bishop of Middleton, speaking from Manchester, said; “We thought we had proven that people were not afraid to buy an Easter egg which mentions Jesus, gives money to charity and which helps in communicating the true meaning of Easter. It seems incredible that the only Easter egg gift on the market, which caters for the Christian community, is rejected or marginalised by our biggest retailers.”

The recommended retail price is £3.99. The Real Easter Egg is made from 125g of high quality Fairtrade chocolate and 15 pence from every sale is donated to Traidcraft Exchange.

There are limited supplies so early ordering is advised. The official Real Easter Egg online shop is at www.realeasteregg.co.uk . To ensure supply, churches are advised to place a bulk order by the end of February. The site has sign-up form, posters and other resources. Online ordering will be open for as long as supplies last or until the middle of March but check the official online shop or Facebook for details.

Traidcraft will also have major stocks available through its online shop and its network of church re-sellers. A number of Independent retailers, including Cathedrals, are expected to stock. The Real Easter Egg online shop will include details of all retailers as they start selling.

Egg with a brighter faith message
The Real Easter Egg is breaking new ground this year and has had a make-over with brighter colours. For the first time ever on an Easter Egg there is a bible quote under the lid and a free copy of the Easer story included inside every box. The Easter story on the outside of the box is a colourful visual and there are three crosses on the front. These new features make the egg even more attractive.

Charitable donation
15p from each Real Easter Egg sale is donated to Traidcraft Exchange. The cocoa and sugar farmers also earn a Fairtrade Premium of $60 a tonne from sales to invest in community projects that they choose, from buying chickens to securing fresh water supplies. A fee is also paid to The Fairtrade Foundation to support their work including its education programme. Last year over £26,000 was been donated to charity from sales.