Food and Nutrition
Fair Trade Shopping
By
Oct 12, 2008 - 5:41:06 PM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - October is Fair Trade Month, a time when we all should be thinking more environmentally about the products we buy. A recent consumer survey showed that while 70% of shoppers are familiar with the term Fair Trade there was confusion about what it represented on a product label and why they should choose these products over other brands.

Fair Trade agricultural products include coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa, chocolate, fresh fruit, sugar, rice, flowers, honey and vanilla. They can be purchased at more than 35,000 retailers in the US.

When a product carries a Fair Trade Certified label it provides you with certain assurances that may be important in your shopping decisions. Fair Trade certification benefits over 1 million small and marginalized farmers and farm workers in 58 developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The program assures farmers a fair price for their products and workers are assured fair wages. But, it goes further than that.

The Fair Trade initiative allows groups of farmers to band together and compete in a global marketplace. It guarantees minimum prices so the farmer can make a living, pay his workers fairly, and hopefully invest in their farms and communities while at the same time protecting the environment. For products to be certified, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) cannot be used and environmentally sustainable farming methods are required. Fair Trade does not guarantee that products are grown organically, but over 60% of all Fair Trade products are certified organic, as well.

TransFair USA, a non-profit organization, is the only Fair Trade certifier in the US. It licenses companies to use the Fair Trade Certified label on agricultural products that meet international standards. TransFair USA is part of the umbrella organization FairTrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) which oversees and certifies producer groups in more than 50 countries.

When you see the Fair Trade certification label on a product you are purchasing at Costco, Kroger, Sam’s Club, Target, Trader Joe’s, Wal-Mart or Whole Foods Market you know that a democratically organized farmer group is behind the item. The workers are provided with decent working conditions and fair wages. No forced child labor has been used. Whenever possible, unnecessary middlemen have been eliminated from the supply chain allowing more profits to return to the farmers. Some of the revenue earned will be turned into local community projects such as schools and health care initiatives. And, the environment is being protected for future generations through the use of sustainable farming techniques.

Many restaurant groups are purchasing Fair Trade foods. Starbucks is the most publicized but Ben & Jerry’s, Caribou Coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Seattle’s Best also offer Fair Trade coffee and foods.

The higher price on some Fair Trade brands is a major barrier for some shoppers. But, even at premium prices almost half of all Americans have purchased a Fair Trade product. They say their main reasons for doing this are the desire to help others and the excellent quality of the brand. As Fair Trade products become more widely available, prices will come down.
To learn more, go to: www.transfairusa.org

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 7 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
The Calorie Counter, 4th Ed., 2007
The Compete Food Counter, 2nd Ed., 2006
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to www.TheNutritionExperts.com.

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