Other things to know about Fair Trade
The Fair Trade movement exists to offer fair prices to producers of food, crafts and clothing, (in fact, almost anything: footballs, toiletries, rubber gloves) throughout the world. Fair Trade businesses build stable relationships between producers, processors and suppliers, so that all involved can plan their lives and care for their families and dependents.
Fair trade foods, crafts and clothing were pioneered by small fair trade shops, like the Balmore Coach House, Rainbow Turtle in Paisley and the One World Shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Now such products are on the shelves of Tesco, Asda, and other leading supermarkets. To reassure customers that these products really are fairly traded, the Fairtrade Foundation issues a Fairtrade mark which you will find on the packet. The Co-op, which was the first UK supermarket to stock Fairtrade products, has a very good range, as has Marks and Spencer. Coffee shop chains such as Costa and Starbucks now offer Fairtrade coffee. People enjoy helping others but they also find that Fairtrade coffee is particularly delicious and that all the foods are of excellent quality.
Not only can teas, coffees, rice, pasta and clothes be given a Fairtrade mark, towns, cities and regions and schools can also become Fairtrade schools. In November 2002, Aberfeldy in Perthshire became the first Fairtrade town in Scotland, closely followed by Strathaven in Lanarkshire. After Lanarkshire, Paisley is the largest Fairtrade town in Scotland. The title means that a town, with the backing of its councillors and other local representatives, commits to making Fairtrade produce widely available in its shops and cafes and restaurants. It has to show that the people there strongly support Fairtrade, and there has to be a local steering group to make sure that the commitment is ongoing. Local producers are also supported with a view to encouraging the high standards of food produced locally. Council areas can also become Fairtrade zones and East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire have both achieved this status.
Examples of Fairtrade foods are coffee, tea, sugar, rice, fruit juices, nuts, and dried fruits.
Your school can become a Fairtrade school, if it hasn’t already. That way you will all be helping farmers and workers in the developing world to get a better deal. It’s enjoyable too. This is your chance to make a real difference.
Some questions and problems for the development of Fair Trade
The Fair Trade movement exists to:
• offer fair prices to producers of food, crafts and clothing, (in fact, almost anything: footballs, toiletries, rubber gloves) throughout the world
• build stable relationships between Fair Trade businesses and producers, processors and suppliers, so that all involved can plan their lives and care for their families and dependents.
Fair trade foods, crafts and clothing were pioneered by small fair trade shops, like the Balmore Coach House, Rainbow Turtle in Paisley and the One World Shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Now such products are on the shelves of Tesco, Asda, and other leading supermarkets. To reassure customers that these products really are fairly traded, the Fairtrade Foundation issues a Fairtrade mark which you will find on the packet.
Schools too can get Fairtrade status. That way you would be helping farmers and workers in the developing world to work their way out of poverty. This is your chance to make a real difference. And it’s enjoyable too!
Here’s how to go about it:-
Email schools@fairtrade.org.uk and ask for a registration form.
Go to www.fairtrade.org.uk/schools for information and ideas to help you. Selling the 90 kg challenge pack is one of the many ways in which you can work towards Fairtrade school status.
How does Fair Trade impact on the farmers in Malawi?
Farmers in Malawi, like farmers everywhere, want fair, stable prices and an assured market for their crops. Organisations like NASFAM (National Association of Smallholder Farmers of Malawi) guarantee a fair price and also work to gain access to markets for their members. NASFAM came to JTS and arranged for our first container of rice. JTS and NASFAM are working to find ways of supporting rice farmers in Malawi.
We are also working to get Malawi Kilombero Fairtrade certified but this is a long and difficult process which requires many hours of training and a big enough market to pay provide sufficient income to pay the annual fees. We are confident that this rice is fairly traded; we hope that in due course we will have the Fairtrade mark to give independent verification of this.
See also ‘Just Trading and Fair Trade’ for a fuller discussion of some of the issues around Fair Trade.
