Fair Trade and Organic - changing the world, one purchase at a time

[ahmad]

Dedicated to Mriceguy and all other globally thinking citizens.

I'd love to buy Fair Trade and organic. But what gives with the prices?

Ok so I'm ensuring a decent wage for someone in the third world. I'm totally up for that. But I thought that the third world had a low cost of living?

Why am I paying DOUBLE the supermarket (on special) price to support the cause?

This is a serious question and I don't want to offend.

[Koopa18]

I'm guessing this is because the middleman also wants a fair wage. 2 fair wages cost more than one. Double the amount, infact.

[ahmad]

I need to try to find out the background behind this Trade Aid organisation.

Are they an NGO? Or just good business tugging on our social conscious and selling Fair Trade as a good marketing advantage?

That's not an accusation, and I think it's fair enough to question where my money is going when it comes to an organisation that holds itself up to stand for a high degree of moral integrity.

I guess it's like giving money to charity and questioning how that money is going to be used.

[sweetasman01]

Originally Posted by ahmad

I need to try to find out the background behind this Trade Aid organisation.

Are they an NGO? Or just good business tugging on our social conscious and selling Fair Trade as a good marketing advantage?

That's not an accusation, and I think it's fair enough to question where my money is going when it comes to an organisation that holds itself up to stand for a high degree of moral integrity.

I guess it's like giving money to charity and questioning how that money is going to be used.

its because you are willing to pay so they ask for more and there is transport costs since the veg/fruit has to travel half way around the world really fast (it the most expensive Air fright) in stead of a few hundred KM if it was bought in NZ/AU

[Synboi]

It's the olbigitory fool with too much money tax. The fair trade stuff isn't really fair trade they still pay them a stupidly small amount of money it's just slightly larger small amount of money and you pay double the price. You would be better off just taking the non organic/fair trade stuff and donating what you think is a good amount is to charity.

[ahmad]

I like the principle, but I'm suspicious of the process.

[fluxcore]

Originally Posted by sweetasman01

its because you are willing to pay so they ask for more and there is transport costs since the veg/fruit has to travel half way around the world really fast (it the most expensive Air fright) in stead of a few hundred KM if it was bought in NZ/AU

Where do you think the USA oranges come from? The Chilean grapes? Etc etc? This is basic pak'n'save stuff here, and in fact organic fruit/veg is more likely to be locally sourced, because it's not covered in preservatives and shit to help it survive long haul journeys.

[Mriceguy]

I went through quite a lot of information so bear with me.

Prices
Well the main reason behind the difference in prices is because of the monopoly the big coffee companies have around the world.

But the prices aren't higher specifically because they are a Fairtrade product.

Although some are slightly more expensive but as far as I've seen they are usually several dollars more, definitely not double the price.

* When a new Fairtrade product enters the market, the volume being sold may be comparatively small, so some transport, manufacture, packaging and marketing costs can be proportionally higher. As volumes have grown, so Fairtrade products have become more competitive.
* Fairtrade prices guarantee that, however low world market prices fall, the producer will always receive enough for a sustainable livelihood. When prices are very low, Fairtrade farmers could be receiving two or three times as much from their Fairtrade sales than from their other sales.
* The costs of independent certification, auditing and traceability, product licensing and labeling are built into the prices of Fairtrade products through the supply chain.
* Many companies working within the Fairtrade system also invest additional money into long-term relationships and business developments with the producers from whom they buy.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shops/conten...adefaqs.html#8

So buying more Fairtrade products will drive prices down!

Remember that through buying Fairtrade, you are making sure coffee growers and other workers have decent living conditions and are able to look after their families.

Process
Trade Aid is a New Zealand organisation that supports Fair Trade.
The workers are both staff and volunteers.

Fair Trade is governed by the World Fair Trade Organization (formally 'International Federation of Alternative Trade')

Under fair trade arrangements, less money goes to the "middlemen" and more goes to the coffee grower.


Buying Fairtrade
The big Fairtrade products in New Zealand are really just coffee, chocolate, cocoa and tea at the moment. So best to start from there.

When buying products check to see that they have the official Fairtrade logo, to make sure they're certified:



Atomic Coffee is the biggest Fairtrade coffee company in New Zealand. (You can also ask your workplace to start buying Fairtrade coffee.)

At coffee shops ask if they stock Fairtrade. As far as I know Wild Bean Cafe is 100% fair trade.

Woolworths and Countdown are better at offering Fairtrade. Foodstuffs really needs to get more in stock (New World, Pak n' Save, Four Square). And the Traid Aid shop of course offers Fairtrade.

I got an email back from Progressive stating the Fairtrade products they stocked, unfortunately no prices attached

CHOCOLATE
Scarboroughfair Adore Milk Choc 180G
Scarboroughfair Sinless 70% Drk Chc 180G Scarboroughfair Sublime Frt/Nt
Chc 180G

For Easter we also offered:
Scarboroughfair Fairtrade Milk Egg 125G
Scarboroughfair Fairtrade 70% Egg 125G

COFFEE
Scarborough Fair Coffee two variants in roast and ground (R&G) and two
variants in instant Gravity in R&G Robert Harris in R&G (a new product
for us, launched last month) Hummingbird Coffee 5 variants all R&G

TEA
Scarborough Fair 6 variants, two black tea, four in flavoured.
Dilmah, all are ethical tea (same as fair trade).

COCOA
Scarborough Fair cocoa

Here's a video Oxfam put out for more info...

[Brianemone]

Originally Posted by Mriceguy

The costs of independent certification, auditing and traceability, product licensing and labeling are built into the prices of Fairtrade products through the supply chain.

This is where me and fair trade products have trouble. The cost of all these verifications has to affect the cost adversy.

[fluxcore]

Up with dilmah! *sips his tea*

Brian: Got any alternatives? I don't really see what the problem is, you pay for what you think is worth it. If it wasn't checked, everyone would just put a label on and increase the price anyway. At least this way you know what companies to support, if you believe in things like treating people humanely.

[FaceAche]

Ahmad, along with the certification and labelling process etc, I think a large part of it will also be the "Fair-Trade-is-just-SOOOOOOOOOO-cool-right-now-so-lets-charge-like-a-wounded-bull-for-it" factor.

Heh, in a recent Target special, the Scarborough Fair products got rubbished.

[ahmad]

Faceache yes you are right that there are some sctors of society that might do it because it is cool and others may do it because they think throwing money absolves them of social guilt (look at carbon trading).

I think fairtrade can only (and will) grow. People are starting to wise up to the way corporations we support are screwing the third world. We used to ignore it because we got cheap shit. Now it's not so cheap and we are starting to realize that lower costs of production don't mean cheaper for us - just fatter profits.

Mriceguy my local coffee roaster sells me FT beans at the same price. But the Trade Aid shop sells 500ml Olive oil for $15 (I think we usually buy 4L for about $50-60), cocoa for $6 (vs. $3) and dates for $6.50 (vs. 99c - $2).

The differential is hard to overcome.