| Press Releases
TransFair USA Announces Fresh Fruit As Newest Fair
Trade Certified™ Product Offering
Fair Trade Certified Bananas, Pineapples, Mangoes and Grapes Ensure
A Fair Price for Farmers Worldwide
Oakland, Calif. (January 22, 2004) — TransFair USA, the
nation's only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products,
today announces the launch of Fair Trade Certified™ bananas, pineapples,
mangoes, and grapes. Fair Trade certification provides a guarantee to
consumers that the farmers who produced these products received a fair
price.
Fair Trade Certified™ fresh fruit will be rolled out in various retail
grocery outlets throughout the United States in the coming weeks. TransFair
USA's certification of fresh fruit builds on the success it has achieved during
the past five years in certifying coffee, tea, and cocoa.
"Consumers can now start the day with a Fair Trade Certified banana and a cup
of coffee, and know that each mouthful empowers farmers and their families,"
said Paul Rice, President and CEO of TransFair USA "We thank consumers for
voting with their dollars for a better world, and we thank our U.S. business
partners who have helped us to grow the model."
Why Fair Trade Certification is Needed
Low market prices
for fruit often leave farmers unable to cover even their cost of production,
making it difficult, if not impossible, to earn a decent living and to take care
of their families. Receiving the Fair Trade price allows farmers to meet
production costs, feed their families, send their children to school, protect
the environment and invest in the quality of their farms for the future. In
addition, Fair Trade standards ensure that strict labor and environmental
guidelines are followed by fruit producers.
"Farmers around the world have benefited greatly over the years by TransFair
USA's certification of coffee, tea and cocoa. We are delighted to see expansion
of the model — this is an important initiative for the Fair Trade certification
movement," said Erin Gorman, Coffee Program Director at Co-op America, a
national non-profit consumer and investor education organization. "We fully
support this development and look forward to partnering with TransFair to ensure
its success. Deserving farmers and their families are counting on it."
Wild
Oats Markets, a leading natural and organics food retailer, issued a press
release today announcing its status as the nation's first food retailer to offer
Fair Trade Certified™ bananas. The Boulder, Colorado based food retailer also
sells Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate, and expects to add other Fair Trade
Certified™ produce items in the future.
How Fair Trade Certification Benefits Farmers
Fair Trade
certification is a comprehensive international certification system that
encompasses inspecting farms, monitoring social and environmental practices, and
auditing the trade of certified products. The system benefits small-scale
farmers and plantation workers. Fair Trade certification ensures that wages meet
or exceed the legal minimum wage and that child labor laws are adhered to. These
minimum prices vary by country and organic status, and are designed to cover the
costs of sustainable production and provide a decent standard of living for
farming families. In Fair Trade, small-scale Fair Trade producers are organized
into democratically run cooperatives and receive a fair price for their crop, no
matter how low the market price falls.
On Fair Trade banana plantations, Fair Trade certification ensures that
owners provide fair wages for their workers. Fair Trade standards ensure that
management respects the rights of workers to be part of unions. Plantations also
receive the Fair Trade price, which covers production and labor cost and
provides a premium for workers.
How Fair Trade Helps The Environment?
Fair Trade
standards require producer farms and cooperatives to make environmental
protection an important part of their land management. Farms must use Integrated
Crop Management techniques; protect virgin forests, surface water, and springs;
and control erosion. Fair Trade standards also encourage farmers to minimize the
use of fertilizers and pesticides, gradually replacing them with organic farming
methods. Certain dangerous pesticides are not allowed at all. An important
benefit of the higher Fair Trade price is that farm workers can receive training
in organic farming techniques and work to gain organic certification.
Authorized Fair Trade fresh fruit importers include: Jonathan's Organics,
Ecuadorian Fruit Corporation, Good Earth Imports, and New Harvest Organics.
Authorized distributors include: Roots & Fruits Produce, J&J
Distributing, Organically Grown Company, Goodness Greeness, Watsonville Coast
Produce, Co-op Partners Warehouse, Superior Natural Foods, and The Oppenheimer
Group.
About Wild Oats Markets
Wild Oats Markets,
Inc. is a nationwide chain of natural and organic foods markets in the U.S. and
Canada. With nearly $1 billion in annual sales, the Company operates 102 natural
foods stores in 24 states and British Columbia, Canada. The Company's markets
include: Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Henry's Marketplace, Sun Harvest and
Capers Community Markets. For more information, please visit the Company's
website at www.wildoats.com.
About TransFair USA
TransFair USA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit,
is the sole Fair Trade certification organization in the U.S. Since its founding
in 1998, TransFair has certified over 38 million lbs. of Fair Trade coffee,
returning more than $31 million in additional income to small-scale coffee
farmers. TransFair also certifies Fair Trade tea, cocoa, chocolate and bananas.
To learn more, visit www.transfairusa.org.
Contact:
Nicole Chettero
Public Relations Associate
TransFair USA
1611 Telegraph Ave. #900
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 663-5260 x357
nchettero@transfairusa.org
|
