By Elise Jones, babybites blog editor
While grabbing a cup of coffee the other day at my new favorite cafe, I became curious about a term associated with the cafe’s coffee and tea: fair trade. I’ve heard of fair trade and I’ve always tried to purchase products that have the label when given a choice but I honestly have no idea if it actually makes a difference and is beneficial as it sounds. Also, are all fair trade labels the same?
I went looking and this is what I found:
– Fair trade, the definition: The purpose of fair trade is to promote healthier working conditions and greater economic incentive for producers. (definition provided by Answers.com)
– What products are certified Fair Trade in the U.S? In the U.S. market, consumers can choose from more than 7,000 products sourced from 58 countries. clothes, food & drink, toys, spirits, personal hygiene products and flowers. Here is a great list of product partners with Fair Trade USA.
– What label do I look for on these products? This is a tricky one… There is one label and it has a very specific look and way it is suppose to be displayed. This is it. But if it is altered in anyway, that means it’s a forgery (can you believe some people even try that!). Go here for more in depth info but overall, just be wary there are fakers out there!
– Fair trade is not the same as organic. So don’t think just because you buy a fair trade coffee, it is organic. The two are not one and same but can co-exist (ideal, right).
– Here is an inspiring video I came across (about 8 min) that gives great insight into Fair Trade communities and its benefits.
So what can I do? When I can, I’ll buy Fair Trade.
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