In classic style, the Huffington Post has blown the lid off something that is completely obvious to most people who take two seconds to think about it: Fair Trade certification is not any kind of guarantee of quality. Meaning that if you buy Fair Trade coffee (for example), it may not be better than non-Fair Trade blends.
Fair Trade is one of those fancy labels that companies emblazon on their products to entice you to buy. In the United States, we most often encounter it on coffee and sometimes chocolate. (Would that Fair Trade chocolate was more readily available… the cocoa harvest industry has an appalling amount of human suffering, equivalent to blood diamonds.)
Fair Trade means that the manufacturers paid a reasonable sum of money to the farmer for their product. An international standards commission sets a baseline price, product by product, and companies who abide by Fair Trade practices pay no less than that baseline price for the product. Think of it as minimum wage.
The humanitarian benefits are clear. Fair Trade also helps the environment, because people getting paid a fair wage aren't compelled to take ugly shortcuts to make ends meet. And it usually results in a better product, for the same reason.
But not necessarily.
Fair Trade products usually cost a little bit more than their conventional counterparts. Fair Trade coffee usually costs about $1 more per pound. A small price to pay, to have such a measurable positive impact on the lives of people in developing countries. In fact, buying Fair Trade is one of the best ways that we in the affluent West can make the world a better place.
But once again, it doesn't necessarily mean you're getting a better coffee. It's usually pretty decent, though, and surely the humanitarian benefits are worth it?
Image courtesy Flickr/datenhamster.org
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