What are Fair Trade Goods

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Recommended: Benefits of fair trade over free trade

Fair Trade goods are products that bear a logo which come from farmers and workers who are reasonably compensated. Fair trade helps farmers in developing countries build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities. Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization, but instead of charity they teach disadvantaged communities how to use the free market to their advantage. With Fair Trade USA, the money you spend on day-to-day goods can improve an entire community’s day-to-day lives. Businesses that would like to adopt Fair Trade practices have to purchase certification licenses. The international Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) sends representatives to the farms from which the products are purchased and ensures that the farmers adhere to the procedures outlined in the Fair Trade standards. They also audit the supply chain for the product to ensure that the Fair Trade prices have been paid. After a successful completion of the process, the item is certified and the Fair Trade logo can be presented on it. Products marked by the Fair Trade label contain 100% Fair Trade certified contents. These companies are constantly being monitored by an independent Boards of Trustees; therefore, consumers can be quite certain that these organizations adhere to their standards as fair and unbiased. Rishi Tea, Fair Indigo, Fairhills Wine, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Theo Chocolate, and Blends for Life, along with Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream are companies that engage in fair trade. The first ice cream company to use Fair Trade ingredients, Ben & Jerry’s launched their Fair Trade venture with their coffee flavors in 2005. Ben & Jerry’s plans to be 100-percent Fair Trade sourced, by the year 2013. As a major company in the public e... ... middle of paper ... ...ucking money at the situation, Fair trade empowers the producers, providing an opportunity for them to earn a fair wage for their work. This assures a minimum fair price and eliminates the irregularity that goes hand in hand with being a third world producer. As consumers we have the power to ensure that a fair price is guaranteed. With our growing consumer power we are showing governments and corporations that we don’t just care about the price of the product, we care about its source, its producers and how it is made. Fair trade nurtures choice since, with the premium gained, communities can direct their money to where it is needed, for example to education, healthcare, water supplies, roads, the environment and crop quality. Through joint decisions, communities are transformed. The cycle of poverty is broken as children are educated and move up the social ladder.

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