What is the Fairtrade Mark?
The independent Fairtrade Mark is a guarantee of a fair deal for farmers and producers. Fairtrade goods include products like Café Direct, Tea Direct and Traidcraft. The producer is guaranteed a fair and stable price, and any surplus is invested in the producer communities. Fairtrade helps tens of thousands of small farmers in poor countries build a better life for themselves, their families and communities, and builds links of friendship and solidarity across the world.
How do I tell which goods are Fairtrade products?
Look for the Fairtrade Mark. The Fairtrade Foundation licenses the Fairtrade Mark to products marketed by over 100 companies in the UK. There are now more than 250 products available from retail outlets and more from catering suppliers.
Products with the Fairtrade Mark include chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea, fresh fruits, vegetables, sugar, snacks and biscuits, jams and spreads, fruit juices, honey, wine, roses and footballs. Other items such as fresh fruit, rice and cotton are all in development.
Do many people buy Fairtrade goods?
More and more of us are buying Fairtrade goods. Across the UK, we spent £92.3 million on Fairtrade Mark products in 2004 - an increase of 91 per cent over the previous two years. The result of these sales is that a minimum of 800,000 farmers and workers in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia benefit from a better deal. This is the fair deal that the Fairtrade Mark guarantees.
How can I support Fairtrade?
Lewisham for Fairtrade’s guide ‘What you can do to be a Fairtrader’ has this advice:
- buy Fairtrade - look for the Fairtrade Mark in shops and cafes
- choose Fairtrade at work - use Fairtrade tea and coffee
- lobby your local supermarket or shop - if you don’t see Fairtrade foods on the shelf - ask!
- encourage your school to learn about Fairtrade - share Fairtrade with your friends and family.