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PRAYER FOCUS July 2004

AN IDEA FROM ENGLAND WE NEED TO ADOPT

Fairtrade items have been on the market for nearly 25 years but consumers all over the world are looking forward to a special anniversary in Fairtrade Fortnight in 2004 (1-14 March)—the tenth birthday of the FAIRTRADE Mark. The theme, ‘A Taste for Life’, is a celebration of quality, both quality of life for the producers which is enhanced by the Fairtrade premium, and the top quality of the products. 

Since the first three Fairtrade products – Clipper Fairtrade teas, Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate and Cafédirect coffee – hit the supermarket shelves in 1994, the power of consumer choice has enabled millions of food producers, from Sri Lankan tea pluckers to Tanzanian coffee farmers, to have a better quality of life. Every week, more and more people are choosing foods with the FAIRTRADE Mark, realizing that their choice can make a positive difference to the lives of farmers and workers in the developing world.

From school  shops to smart hotels, Fairtrade is now moving into the mainstream. The past 10 years have been a quiet revolution as more and more people choose food the FAIRTRADE MARK. People are starting to see Fairtrade as part of their lifestyle. And this is only the beginning.  Fairtrade is the food of the future, says Fairtrade Foundation executive director Harriet Lamb.

“Bananas are a great example of how consumer power works”, she adds. “It’s so tempting to pick up that cheap bunch, but the rock bottom prices mean that banana plantations are being closed   down. Too often, prices to farmers don’t even pay the cost of production and hundreds of banana farmers are living in poverty. Buying Fairtrade means the farmers can stay on the land and keep farming. So your decision at the banana stand has a powerful impact.”

From January, celebratory activities to mark the 10^th birthday of the Fairtrade social movement have been gearing up. There are now 140 products on shop shelves, ranging from bananas, chocolate, coffee, tea, fruit, juices, snack bars and even a Christmas pudding. Products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark are now served in government departments, top hotels, cafés and restaurants. Twenty-nine towns have proved such a commitment that they have become Fairtrade Towns and 80 more, including London, are aiming for this status, and entire universities are also switching to Fairtrade.

Saul Garcia, a Mayan Indian, has grown cocoa on his five acre valley plantation, in Belize. Like many others in the country, he has benefited hugely from efforts to promote fairly-traded chocolate, giving small producers better prices and working conditions.          Christian Aid News

(The Winston-Salem World Mission shop has several Fairtrade products, including coffee. Try it!)