Fairtrade Chocolate Easter Eggs!

[beth]

I popped into Hope and Greenwood to buy some Fairtrade Easter Eggs after seeing a shocking segement on Newsnight on the use of child labours in the production of cocoa and was surprised they don't do Fairtrade products. East Dulwich Deli does though so if you are looking for Fairtrade easter eggs - pop in there or if others can say where you can buy them locally that would be great. I just feel uneasy giving my kid something that has been produced through the exploitation of other kids.

[Keef]

Co-Op are usually great for Fairtrade.

[CrystalClear]

hehe keef. I get the impressions not many forumites shop in there!

[Keef]

Well that's up to them, but they're one of the leaders in selling Fairtrade products.

[nutty]

Did anyone read the Economoist article on why Fairtrade really isn't as good an idea as it's exponents may have you believe?

Quite a good summary here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/16/business/16online.html?ex=1323925200&en=f9db09c1f1c20730&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[jim_the_chin]

the church/cafe thing at the top of barry road stocks a range of fairtrade stuff, including the best decaf tea i've tasted

[SeanMacGabhann]

Well the clue to the relevance of the article is in the phrase "The Economist says"

If we take even their own words at face value I still don't get it

Fair trade? is anything but, The Economist concluded. Fair trade products often carry a premium above market prices, part of which is returned to impoverished farmers. The problem here, the magazine said, is that artificially high prices work against the very problem such schemes are meant to solve: overproduction. Coffee prices have tanked in recent years because there?s too much of it being produced. Higher prices encourage more production.

[unquote]

So coffee prices have tanked in recent years have they? That'll be why those who can, choose to pay close to ?3 for a grande latte. Now Im aware of marketforces and the "tanking" in question relates to the stock market proce but the question is - if the farmers need subsidising to earn a basic living, and we are paying through the nose, but the stock price has fallen - who is making all the money?

As for "too much of it being produced - Higher prices encourage more production" - these values never apply to City bonuses

Wether it's Fairtrade farmers in Costa Rica, or Devon farmers in UK all face the same problem - affluent consumers pay hard cash for their produce but the suppliers continue to squeeze them for every penny. The Supermarkets will only buy from BIG producers (talk about overproduction!) but if you wanted to set up a small holding you aren't going to make any money and you won't be overproducing either. If you make it (or grow it or nurture it) and sell it you should get a fair price if you have a buyer. These coffee producers have buyers to pay em a fair price ..

[beth]

I'm copying a bit from Tim who left a message on a blog I visit about this issue of the use of child labour in the production of chocolate - I'm sure he won't mind.

I work at the International Labor Rights Fund (www.laborrights.org) in the US and we work closely with Global Exchange on stopping child labor in the cocoa industry.

In addition to buying fair trade chocolate, you can also send protest letters to big chocolate companies here to tell them to stop using child labor: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/Nestle07.

I would also recommend checking out a blog entry I wrote yesterday about the BBC report you refer to. It has a list of ways to take action (including an essay contest for kids!): http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/

international_labor_right/2007/03/

child_labor_on_.html.

Stop the Traffik in the EU is also doing some great cocoa campaigning.

[dulwichmum]

I am right beside Beth on this one, it is Fair Trade chocolate all around this Easter.

[bald marauder]

Sean, you are right about the inherent bias in the Economist's coverage, however I have also read an article in the FT about one year ago, highlighting failings in the Fairtrade process. The Fairtrade mark is supposed to guarantee that farm workers receive a living wage/minimum wage. But the FT found that a high % of farmers they contacted were receiving LESS than the supposed guaranteed amount. Apparently, this can easily happen, because sometimes even with the Fairtrade mechanism behind them farmers don't earn enough to pay themselves or their workers the minimum wage. None of the mainstream press picked up on this story, which is probably a good thing because undoubtedly the principles behind Fairtrade are worth supporting - but they really need to deal with these breaches before they risk a loss of faith in the ability of their brand to actually deliver what it promises.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Good points BM

I also remember reading about several of the big corporates inventing their own versions of fairtrade labels to capitalise on people's goodwill and they definitely were not as benevolent

I'm sure there are issues behind the cuddly image of Fairtrade but wouldn't it be good if they could be discussed properly instead of the likes of the Economist going "ha! told you do-gooders!!"

Incidentally when people use do-gooders as an insult what are they implying is better - do-badders? Like those American "Mothers against gun-crime" groups - it suggests there are Mothers FOR....

Not an original thought I know but the thread put me in that frame of mind

[OutOfFocus]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Incidentally when people use do-gooders as an

> insult what are they implying is better -

> do-badders?

I think they are implying that the would prefer the "do-gooders" actually do good rather than pay lip service or delude themselves

that they are doing good.

Not sure if do-badders should have one or two ds, but then I am dyslexic so I don't trust my judgement :-)

[SeanMacGabhann]

Andrew

I guess I've gone down an off-topic cul-de-sac here. Not sure about the type of people who use do-gooders as an insult. The people ringing in to phoneins on BBC London et al who use it don't sound like the "I'm living it while these people only pay lip service" type - they sound more like the very IDEA of, to try and stay on topic, paying someone a fair price is not only bang out of order but an affront to their ability- nay, right- to pay ?1 for a t-shirt

And if you have dyslexia it's 10 times better than my typing!

[beth]

Whatever the imperfections of the Fairtrade system, it's better than support the multi-national chocolate companies who are extremely exploitative of the cocoa farmers and child labourers!

[dulwichmum]

Hurrah! As Kathryn pointed out - only one week to go! I wonder if Godiva does fair trade? I shall do a google search right now...

[Scruffy Mummy]

Fairtrade whenever possible - particularly when buying chocolate!!

Scruffy Mummy

http://www.scruffymummy.blogspot.com

[dulwichmum]

I'm with you Scruffy Mummy, welcome to the forum.

[nutty]

I posted the economist link because I think that quite often we blindly follow what we are told is the right think to do by the likes of Coldplay's Chris Martin. Undoubtedly the article is fairly one sided but it is important to hear both sides as normally all we get is a pop star telling us we are saving the world by drinking it :)

I would be a lot happier if we had coffee companies along the lines of the bottled water companies that make no profit at all and pump it all back into supplying clean water to the poorer countries. e.g. http://www.we-are-one.org.uk/

I'm not yet convinced that fairtrade can work in it's current form due to problems mentioned above with monitoring it and the fact western companies still make a lot of money themselves from it which suggests the incentive isn't all altruistic.

[Scruffy Mummy]

No, actually - it isn't untill business see that they can make money from being ethical that they will change sadly! So we have to show them there is a market for ethically produced products. Corporates don't do anything just for altrulism - even the right on brands.

There was a programme on one of the news channels about how Fairtrade Bananas have been an economic godsend of the Caribbean - their banana industry was under threat due to some World Trade Directive and the demand for Fairtrade Bananas has had a huge impact.

Scruffy Mummy

http://www.scruffymummy.blogspot.com

[Parker's Folly]

I had some of that fairtrade chocolate from Coop the other day and frankly, it wasn't very good. Rather bland I thought.

In my humble opinion, give me Green & Blacks, Lindt, anything Belgian, or even Charbonnel et Walker. Hey, maybe even some of those are fairtrade for all I know, although probably not.

[Keef]

Mmmm Green & Blacks Orange Spice (tu)

[SimonM]

>>In my humble opinion, give me Green & Blacks, Lindt, anything Belgian, or even Charbonnel et Walker. Hey, maybe even some of those are fairtrade for all I know, although probably not.<<

Oh well if we are now talking serious chocolate Easter Eggs then look no further than Hotel Chocolat...admittedly expensive on the face of it, but incredibly think and scrumptious and, who knows, may even be fairtrade too...