Fairtrade Fortnight 2017 starts this Monday 27th February and runs till Sunday 12th March 2017. It is a massive worldwide campaign that raises further awareness of where these key products are sourced. Selling Fairtrade-certified products ensures that producers in developing countries are given a guaranteed minimum price, which is especially important when market prices fall. Producers also receive the Fairtrade Premium to invest in business and community development.
I am mainly thinking about food and drink (do I ever think about anything else?) fruit and vegetables, bananas (the most common and most loved Fairtrade fruit), chocolate, coffee, dried fruits, nuts, tea, and I nearly forgot wine! When you buy these products, do you look for the Fairtrade symbol? do you consider the story behind the product? does it mean anything to you?
Riverford who supply my weekly box of fresh fruit and vegetables have Fairtrade as part of their principles but putting it into practise is not always straightforward for them as I read in their newsletter today. When trading outside Europe they have to reply on Fairtrade certification, for bananas and pineapples in particular.
1992 Co-op was the first supermarket in the UK to start selling Fairtrade products. To find out more about the products on sale click here.
‘Sainsbury’s quickly followed and over 20 years later, Sainsbury’s is now the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade products.
‘Aiming to provide customers with quality products at a fair price, sourced in a way that’s better for the farmers, growers and workers involved. Offering a wide range of Fairtrade products is part of this and can make a real difference to the lives of people in developing countries.’
So wherever you shop, stop and think about Fairtrade over the next few weeks and maybe you will change your habits beyond that time. For full details on the Fairtrade campaign click here.
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