A new venture by Oxford & Swindon Co-op was welcomed by campaigners aiming to make Oxford a "fair trade" city.

Membership officer Nicola Cade with Arthur Edwards of the Oxford Fairtrade Coalition

The Fair Trade campaign aims to help producers in the Third World get a fairer share of the profit from their goods.

Oxford City Council is backing the bid to have Oxford named a "fair trade city" and fair-trade tea and coffee will be served in the town hall.

Oxford & Swindon Co-op is one of the first businesses to support the venture. It has also launched a website -- www.osgmakeitfair.coop -- giving information on fair trade products such as coffee, wine, chocolate and fruit juice.

The website also gives details of local food growers and ideas for ethical shopping.

Membership officer Nicola Cade said: "This is a first-class resource for anyone with an interest in making their shopping basket more ethical, supporting the developing world and their local community, as well as encouraging quality food production."

She added: "We are asking people to make a conscious decision to think, when they put something in their trolleys, about the effect of their decisions on the people producing the goods."