Today sees the start of Fair Trade Fortnight.
Coordinated by the Fairtrade Foundation, it’s 2 weeks of show-casing Fair Trade products and raising public awareness of the importance of fair pricing, contracts and working conditions for producers in developing countries.
The Fairtrade Foundation expects there to be over 10,000 events over the next two weeks, ranging from coffee mornings and wine tasting to film screenings and talks with farmers. Find out if there’s an event near you.
Certified Fair Trade products carry the Fairtrade Foundation mark. Many people think this also means the product is organic – but it doesn’t. The two classifications are independent, though extra income from fairly traded products allows many producers to invest in the growing of crops in a more sustainable way, often eventually moving to organic production.
The big dilemma faced when buying is if you have to choose between Fair Trade and organic. Not many products are both.
And I was wondering what you think. If it’s a choice between Fair Trade coffee / tea / cocoa / bananas / whatever takes your fancy, or organic versions, which would you pick? And why?
Clare x
Organic. Pesticides scare me more than a farmer in another country not getting paid. That said, I’d choose fair trade over non-fair-trade.