Fair trade

Natalie

Natalie

Insect of Terror
Staff member
I'm starting this topic for two reasons. Firstly, I had a bizarre experience today when I was at the grocer's. This lady dressed quite nicely takes these bananas that have the fair trade label on 'em. Then when she's at the counter she asks if she can have them half price because the bananas were very ripe. I mean, I know fair trade products are more expensive than the usual, but if you're going to buy fair trade shouldn't you pay the full price, I mean, isn't that the point?  :huh:
Secondly, because it's an interesting topic (I think) and I don't believe this forum has covered it yet (to my knowledge). So, post away people, what do ye think of fair trade?
 
If I had it my way, Fair Trade would be the only trade. Unfortunately, I can't afford buying this stuff, not even occasionally. In some bitter sort of irony, Fair Trade goods are ultimate luxury goods, and the only times I can ever put my hands on them is when somebody gives me a Fair Trade bar of chocolate for X-Mas, or something like that. Not to mention they're very rare to find in the first place.
 
This lady seems to want to buy "fair trade" stuff to ease her conscience (or am I just been to cynical ;)). The problem for the most part is that people want cheap stuff - the sooner people realise exactly why their product is so cheap, they may choose to opt for fair trade in the future.

There is a UK supermarket chain that claims to only sell produce that is sourced from suppliers that are paid fairly. Although, it has to be said that this chain of supermarkets regular clientele are folk who, shall we say, are slightly better off than most.
 
I always try to buy "Made in Canada" products wherever I can.  Honestly, the best way to do so is to avoid Wal-Mart, no matter how cheap it is.  I only go there when they have something I can't get anywhere else, so I shop at Wal-Mart once, twice a year.  Fair Trade food products are far more expensive, but I try to make the majority of my buys Canadian, or at the very least, from a western industrialized nation.  My potatoes are 100% PEI.

It is fun, however, to piss off the hippies by refusing to buy the Fair Trade coffee when we go to the campus coffee shop (I don't drink coffee, but they don't know that).  I usually say..."It costs how much?  Screw that, give me the cheap crap, no matter how many infant Columbians died to bring me my cuppa java!  You don't carry it?  See you, I'm off to Tims."
 
LooseCannon said:
I try to make the majority of my buys Canadian, or at the very least, from a western industrialized nation.  My potatoes are 100% PEI.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what Fair Trade is not, but whatever.
 
I understand the concept of "Fair Trade", Perun.  But I generally don't purchase products that have a "Fair Trade" alternate.  Like bananas, or coffee, or other tropical products like dates and such.  I do try to avoid purchasing items that come from areas where sweatshop or forced labour is used, where the amount of money trickling down is very little.  I felt that was in the same area as the use of Fair Trade, so therefore, I chose to attempt to expand the discussion.

I apologize.
 
No need to apologise... you didn't say that you don't purchase products from that range, so I guess it was just a misunderstanding.
 
No, I generally don't.

To be fair, it's really really hard to find Fair Trade up here.  Impossible in my little university town, aside from the coffee shop, which as previously stated, has Fair Trade coffee.  I expect that in larger urban centres there are entire shops devoted to it, but not here.
 
Perun said:
Fair Trade goods are ultimate luxury goods
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And rare to find?
Are you kidding?

Fair Trade products can be products sold in supermarkets or "worldshops" (at least in the Netherlands):

coffee
tea
cacao
icecream
bananas
oranges
mangos
grapes
mandarines
pineapples
sprinkles
chocolate spread
rice
wine

more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldshop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stichting_Max_Havelaar

I guess it's because the Netherlands always have given a lot of money to development aid.
 
Mate, I had a whole week-long seminar on Fair Trade once. I can't afford that stuff, and in the place I live in, I'm glad if a supermarket has half a shelf of that stuff.
 
Here in Vienna there are one or two 'world shops' as they call it which only sell fair trade stuff...but its usually only coffee and dried mango's. At any rate, the stuff which is fair trade and available in supermarkets is horrifyingly expensive, and just out of my price range...*shrugs*
 
Alright, I only can say they are no luxuary goods necessarily. I guess that those products are way more expensive than others indeed.
 
Do you believe that fair trade is real?

I'm pretty quick on conspiracy theories and doubting many acts proclaimed to be for good cause myself.

I believe what they say on the food I buy since its mostly nutrition facts, I guess. No fair trade stuff here though.

I wouldn't believe them, no matter what labels they had on their goods.

Imo, if you want to donate to a good cause there must be better ways to do it than this.
 
Urizen said:
Do you believe that fair trade is real?
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Yes, but perhaps I wouldn't believe it so easily if those products are sold in countries who don't prove that they care for other cultures and countries.
 
LooseCannon said:
It is fun, however, to piss off the hippies by refusing to buy the Fair Trade coffee when we go to the campus coffee shop (I don't drink coffee, but they don't know that).  I usually say..."It costs how much?  Screw that, give me the cheap crap, no matter how many infant Columbians died to bring me my cuppa java!"
Click to expand...
Great! I'll try that!  :lol:
More seriously, it's usually difficult to find Fair Trade stuff in my place except for coffee which is available almost everywhere now. The price is ca. 10-15% higher. I'm now only buying Fair Trade coffee. Obviously I couldn't afford Fair Trade label for all my purchases...
If I could find Fair Trade Beer I'd try it immediately. It cannot be worse than Labatt's ice  :P :P
 
We got my buddy Mike blitzed on Keith's from the tap...oh, and the 15 or so shots we lined up for him during the night.  He passed out on my toilet.  Not sitting on it, with his face on the rim.  He drooled all over it, too, it was pretty sick.
 
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