Alkmaar and Den Helder town councils are within their rights to refuse to allow Douwe Egberts to take part in a tender process to supply coffee and tea because it does not have the right fair trade label, a judge in Alkmaar said on Friday.

The two towns had asked for tenders from companies selling Max Havelaar fair trade coffee. Douwe Egberts coffee has the Utz Certified label.
But Max Havelaar founder Nico Roozen told the NRC the result was a ‘legal error’ because the Utz trade mark contributes more to sustainability than Max Havelaar now does.
Douwe Egberts is now considering an appeal. The company bought 40 million tonnes of Utz certified coffee last year, spokesman Gijs Weterings told the paper.