ABC Wednesday - F

What great timing! Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday arrives at the letter 'F' during Fairtrade Fortnight! Our church, Linden, in Swansea, runs a community cafe during school holidays. This Spring, it was decided to open not only over half-term but for Fairtrade Fortnight (25 February - 9 March) as well.

Products used by the cafe are fairtrade or organic or locally-sourced as far as possible. We're also going to be maintaining a small fairtrade stall throughout the year. All sorts of things are now available as certified fairtrade including clothes, children's games, and footballs as well as many food products.

You might be able to see, amongst the items already available in Red Cafe, chocolate coffee beans, chocolate eggs, drinking chocolate and chocolate hazelnut spread. (And I haven't weakened in my resolve to give up chocolate for Lent. Just because it's occupying my thoughts and dreams means nothing.)

To be sure that the goods you are buying are fairly-traded, look for the Fairtrade mark.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation:

"Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives."

A damning report about fair trade was published this week . The Fairtrade Foundation says:

"The Fairtrade Foundation finds it extremely sad that the Adam Smith Institute has chosen Fairtrade Fortnight to publish an inaccurate report, claiming that Fairtrade does “more harm than good”. This completely contradicts our experience of working with farmers and workers in developing countries as part of a coalition that includes all the major development agencies in the UK. Releasing this report when thousands of people are trying to make a difference to global poverty by promoting Fairtrade products, is an insult to the effort and commitment of Fairtrade producers and their supporters in the UK." For the rest of the response, go here.

xx