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Buying Fairtrade Products Online
We support the buying of Fairtrade products from online supermarkets at OnlineGroceryStore.co.uk and encourage our users to look out for the Fairtrade mark on items they are buying. So we thought you might be interested to know more about it.
We were recently pleased to be able to interview Abi Macbeth from The Fairtrade Foundation about Fairtrade and particularly about buying Fairtrade items online.
Hello Abi, and thanks for talking to us about this. So what is Fairtrade? Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By insisting that companies pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade allows the weakest in the supply chain – the poor – to get a fairer deal and to improve their lives through their own hard work.
Why do poor farmers not just charge more? Many farmers and workers in developing countries struggle to provide for their families. Poor market access and unfair trade rules often mean that the price they get for their crop does not cover the cost of production. Intermediaries control the prices and the farmers have little choice in the matter.
How do Fairtrade ensure that the farmer gets a fair price? We set a minimum price that must be paid for the produce. The Fairtrade minimum price defines the lowest possible price that a buyer of Fairtrade products must pay the producer. And when the market price is higher than the Fairtrade minimum price, the market price must be paid.
You don’t certify all types of food. Which food categories do you currently certify? Bananas; Cocoa; Coffee; Dried Fruit; Fresh Fruit & Fresh Vegetables; Honey; Juices; Nuts/Oil Seeds; Quinoa; Rice; Spices; Sugar; Tea; Wine.
How big is the Fairtrade market? In 2007, the market had reached nearly £500m. The UK is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of Fairtrade products. About one fifth of bananas and one fifth of roast and ground coffee sold in the UK are now Fairtrade.
OK – so now more about shopping online for groceries. How can we tell if a product is Fairtrade or not? You will find the FAIRTRADE Mark on thousands of products from coffee to fresh fruit as a guarantee of a better deal for people and planet.
It’s hard (impossible!) to pick things up and look at them online. How can I see if an item is Fairtrade? One good way to find Fairtrade products in an online supermarket is simply to type “fairtrade” into the search box – a lot of items will normally be listed! [Editor - we tried this and found 23 items listed at Tesco – there are more Fairtrade items, but it was a useful exercise] Also, many online supermarkets have Fairtrade sections.
Is it only the big brands who have Fairtrade products? Fairtrade products include those manufactured by well known brands, supermarket own-label Fairtrade products and also independent products.
Is there a list of Fairtrade products currently available? Shoppers can visit www.fairtrade.org.uk/products for a list of retail products. Products are listed with a link through to the companies’ website.
Thank you for answering our questions Abi. I’m sure our readers will find that interesting. If you want to find out more about Fairtrade you can visit the website at www.Fairtrade.org.uk.
Book Review: Waitrose Food for All Seasons: A Year of Delicious Recipes
Over the years, Waitrose have produced a series of very clear and extremely tasty recipe cards. 120 of the best Waitrose food recipes are collected in this book. The only disappointment is that the recipes could have made better use of the seasonal foods for which Waitrose is so renowned. A good read and reliable recipes (as you would expect). Can also be bought on Amazon.
