WHAT IS FAIRTRADE?

Fairtrade pays a stable, basic price to producers of foods like bananas, tea, mangoes, sugar and coffee and various non-food crafts and textiles in parts of the world like Africa and South America. The price covers the cost of production, a basic living wage and a 'social premium' to invest in the business or social development programs like education and health.

To get Fairtrade status, products are expected to meet particular Fairtrade terms and conditions of production such as organic farming methods. In this way, producers are protected from the volatility of prices on world markets and consumers are guaranteed a superior quality product produced in fair and sustainable conditions.

When a product meets (and continues to meet) Fairtrade criteria, the distributor can pay a license fee to display the Fairtrade Mark which provides a consumer guarantee that the product (or a majority of its ingredients) are fairly traded (see below). The Fairtrade Foundation (the UK's Fairtrade labelling organisation) oversees the applications for and use of the Fairtrade mark. Visit their website for more information.