Archive - September 2012

Sweeten Your Rosh Hashanah with Fair Trade Honey

September 12, 2012 | Read the Whole Post | Posted in Artisan Stories, Jewish Holidays

Rosh Hashanah is just a few days away, an auspicious time to reflect on how our actions truly express our values. Choosing Fair Trade products, when they are available, is one powerful way to act on what is important to us. This year, by choosing Fair Trade honey, we can also sweeten the lives of the bee keepers who make it.

Here’s my guest blog published by Hazon’s “The Jew and Carrot” column in The Jewish Daily Forward.

The Brawl Over Fair Trade Coffee

September 3, 2012 | Read the Whole Post | Posted in Fair Trade News
As many of you already know, Fair Trade USA withdrew its membership from The international Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) last fall, creating one of the biggest controversies in the fair trade movement historically.  Since then:

  • FLO has been meeting with a broad range of fair trade constituents to set up a new certifying body for products distributed through the U.S., and Fair Trade Canada has been assuming that responsibility in the interim
  • Fair Trade USA launched its own program, “Fair for All’, which expands to include certification of coffee grown on plantations and estates (vs. cooperatives)
  • Small farm producers have garnered forces to establish their own label
  • Some Fair Trade businsses have switched certification systems

The controversy continues to heat up! Here’s a comprehensive review that was recently published in “The Nation.”