The Co-operative Group, known for many years as an ethical food retailer in the UK, said it will ban the sale of eggs from caged hens, convert its entire own-brand hot beverage range to Fairtrade, reduce the weight of its wine packaging and add a further 66 pesticides to its prohibited list.

These actions follow the results of a six month consultation programme with members and customers. The Co-operative said that over 100 000 members across the UK responded to the poll to guide its responsible retailing strategy.

When asked to name one area of priority, three main categories emerged: ethical trading (27 per cent), animal welfare (25 per cent) and the environment (22 per cent).

The group said it will be the first UK retailer to convert its entire own-brand hot beverage category, which is worth over £16m annually, to Fairtrade.

The move is expected to benefit producers in some of the world's poorest countries in East Africa and India. They will get a guaranteed price for their crop and a Fairtrade premium to invest in projects of their choice such as water supplies, educational equipment and medical facilities, said the Co-op.

The ban on the sale of eggs from caged hens, effective immediately, means that all eggs on sale are now free range or organic.

With regard to packaging, last year the Co-operative launched the world's lightest whiskey bottle. It is now announcing that the glass used for bottles for 26 different wines - amounting to 8.2m bottles a year - will be reduced, saving a total of 450 tonnes of glass per annum.

Fairtrade food and drink still only account for a fraction of total sales in the UK but that fraction is growing.

Other retailers have also made major moves in the sector recently. Last year Sainsbury's, the UK's third biggest supermarket, pledged to grow Fairtrade sales by 145 per cent in 2007 to £130m, with a longer term target of £200m in 2008.

Sainsbury's also recently took the decision to remove battery-farmed eggs from its shelves over concerns about the welfare of the birds involved. It said that the removal also applied to eggs used in own-brand products, though the company was unable to ensure that outside suppliers were following suit.

UK food retailers Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer also claim to have moved to stamp out stocking battery eggs at their stores.