How do I know it’s Fair Trade?

How do I know it’s Fair Trade?

(Editor’s Note: This fabulous and succinct article can be found at Make Trade Fair website. The need for Fair Trade is only exceeded by the further need for localized production in every sector- that would offer us food & goods with a small carbon footprint since they are produced in the same area as they are used. - AnnieB)
Most Fair Trade products bear a Fairtrade Mark on the packaging. In different countries look out for the different names, Transfair , Max Havelaar or FairTrade Foundation . You can find out which is applicable in your country on the Fair Trade Labelling Organisation (FLO) website www.fairtrade.net
The Fairtrade Mark is the only independent guarantee to consumers that farmers in developing countries get a fair deal for their products. The FLO system currently covers mainly commodity food products: coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, honey, bananas, sugar, orange juice, mangoes and also where any of these products are the key ingredient in another product, for example snack bars. FLO is working hard to expand the types of products which are eligible for inclusion in the FLO system , for example footballs have recently been introduced as the first non-food product.

If a product is making a Fair Trade claim but it doesn’t carry a Fairtrade Mark you can be sure their claim is genuine if they belong to the International Federation of Alternative Trade (IFAT), whose members have a mission to tackling poverty through trade. You can check members of IFAT on their website www.ifat.org.
Many major retailers include Fair Trade products in the range of goods they offer the consumer. There are also over 2,500 World Shops selling Fair Trade goods as part of their mission to overcome poverty through trade. World shops operate in over 12 different countries and rely on over 100,000 volunteers. For more details about World Shops you can check on www.worldshops.org.