All About Fair Trade

Have you ever noticed a fair trade label on products like chocolate, coffee or tea and wondered about what it means? Fair trade is a social justice certification that speaks to how the people that produced the food were compensated for their efforts.

In some communities around the world, impoverished workers are paid low wages and they are asked to work in unsafe conditions for long hours. Fair trade certified products offer information about how the people that produced a food item were treated, like whether they had labor protections and were reasonably compensated relative to the profits made.

When a product sports a fair trade certified label, it means producers were paid wages that allow them to support their families and contribute to their communities. Fair trade means there are rules that protect workers from unsafe working conditions, and that workers are of legal working age. Fair trade encourages democratic decision-making, transparency, gender equity and independence.

Some fair trade certifications signal benefits for the environment, too. Fair trade often supports small-scale farmers and encourages biodiversity (think shade-grown coffee and cocoa, which protect wildlife habitats). There's no need to sacrifice quality with fair trade either; one emphasis of fair trade is supporting farmers in improving the quality of their crops.

Fair trade certification is not yet available for every kind of food, but it's a growing trend; you'll spot the label on coffees, teas, spices, chocolates, sugar, vanilla, fruits, olive oil, avocados, wines and other foods. Fair trade certified non-food items like clothing and accessories, bodycare items and home and garden products are also available.