October is Fair Trade Month

Submitted by worldgoods on October 2, 2007 - 6:10am.
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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. The USDA Organic label is useful for finding pesticide and hormone-free foods, but it doesn't tell us about the way that farm workers were treated or how farmers were payed in order to produce our food. Likewise for clothing, crafts, and other handmade items. 

Thankfully, there is a Fair Trade label and Worldgoods Fair Trade to help us learn a little bit more about where our purchases comes from, how sustainable they are, and ensure that we're not adding to global problems of hunger and poverty. Finding the Fair Trade Certified label on a package means that the people who are growing your coffee, chocolate, sugar, rice and other delicious goods are receiving fair compensation for their hard work. Or, shopping through a Fair Trade store who is a member of Co-op America, the Fair Trade Federation, or IFAT, for example, means you can purchase with confidence. When you purchase Fair Trade products, you know that farmers and artisans are fairly paid and that the communities they work in are thriving. 

So look for Fair Trade labels when you shop, and visit the Discover Fair Trade website to learn more about Fair Trade certification, and read stories about the great things farms are doing all over the world to improve workers' rights. Read more here. 

PLUS - this month, TransFairUSA is hosting a video contest, and you could win a trip to Peru just by showing how much you care! Visit the contest home page now to educate yourself on Fair Trade and be a part of this community of supporters. We welcome your comments to this blog - tell us how you, as mothers, students, fathers, sisters, brothers, and business owners are supporting Fair Trade this month! 

Check out this link for Fair Trade Month! 


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