Over the last couple of months, Worldgoods Fair Trade has been preparing, submitting, and receiving feedback on our business practices during the screening process of becoming a member of the U.S. Fair Trade Federation. After members of the board evaluated Worldgoods as a whole, including checking international and local references, reviewing financial data, and examining all aspects of our company, we're proud to announce that the board's decision was to accept Worldgoods Fair Trade into the U.S.

Even though we all do our best to buy locally, there are always products that we just won't be able to find at the local farm. Sugar, rice, vanilla, coffee, and many other foods that we love are grown in distant locales, making it difficult to determine how sustainably they are produced.

9 hours of travel one way - from taxi to ferry to waiting in line to taxi to waiting and passing from one immigration checkpoint to the next, the village of Njau is nestled far up along the country road on the Northern Bank of The Gambia.

By Irv Weinberg

'Tis the season to be careful. Recently, recalled toys have become big news: So far this year Mattel has recalled almost 19 million toys for inherent dangers from lead paint, to small loose parts particularly magnets that can be easily swallowed. If two or more are swallowed they can play havoc with a child's internal organs. From Thomas the Tank Trains, to Dora the Explora, and even Sesame Street, this holiday season its buyer beware and who can you trust, like never before.