Fair’s fair: gen up on Fairtrade

Fairtrade Fortnight is here, throwing the spotlight on food and other fairly traded products, we look at the ins and outs of ethical shopping including what it is and how to get more of it.

You may know the logo from your bananas but if you’re not sure what it stands for, here’s the deal. Fairtrade means better prices (never lower than the market price), decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair trade terms for farmers in the developing world.

 Fairtrade, which turned 25 last year, began in response to big problems faced by Mexican farmers after world coffee prices collapsed in the late 1980s. Only products that stick to strict Fairtrade rules carry the iconic logo

If a product’s made up of all the ingredients that can be fair trade, it’ll have the Fairtrade logo. Take a closer look and you’ll spot that the green represents farmland while the blue is the sky and the black shape cutting through the middle is a person with their arm raised in celebration. See it now?

A white Fairtrade logo with the name of a product next to it (e.g. honey, vanilla) means that only the named ingredient is fair trade.

So you know, there are other types of fair trade logo out there but these are for different organisations such as Fair for Life and the World Fair Trade Organisation.

You’ll find the Fairtrade logo on things like coffee, tea, chocolate, wine, herbs and spices. But it’s not just food and drink that’s fair trade; cotton, clothes, beauty products, gold and more can also fall under the banner.

There are over 4,500 certified Fairtrade products in the UK, see more here. They pop up all over the place from supermarkets and independent shops to cafes and restaurants as well as online.

It makes total sense for farmers and growers in the developing world to get paid fairly for their goods. Buying products that carry the Fairtrade logo is a quick and easy way to know your hard earned cash is supporting this.

From the coffee in your travel mug to the sugar on your pancake this Pancake Day, look for the logo when you’re stocking up. And think about it when you’re buying other stuff like cotton clobber or flowers for a friend’s birthday.

Fancy joining in with Fairtrade Fortnight’s activities the yummy way too? Then how about making the ultimate hot chocolate. With sugar, cinnamon  and chocolate all in there, there’s plenty of ways to be fair about it. Or make a batch of fair trade cold brew coffee  to see you through the week.

Need a sweet treat to go with those? Don’t let overripe Fairtrade bananas go to waste. Add some sugar, walnuts and chocolate chips (all fair trade of course) and bake up some bangin’ banana bread.

You can’t say fairer than that.