For immediate release
Contact: Heidi Hattenbach
The Fresh Ideas Group
(303) 449-2108 ext. 19
heidi@freshideasgroup.com

Finding an Ethical, Tasty Way to Eat Right and Feel Right:
This October, Discover Fair Trade at a Store Near You

Oakland, Calif.. - (September 15, 2006) -- Today’s consumers are often overwhelmed by the tidal wave of choices and labels in the marketplace. Shoppers can get lost in a sea of products with outrageous health claims, excessive packaging and untraceable origins. There’s one clear choice for well-intentioned shoppers: discover Fair Trade.

The Fair Trade Certified™ label is a simple and third-party verified way to know that products were produced under socially, environmentally and economically sustainable conditions. And this October is National Fair Trade Month, a prime time for shoppers to explore the many appealing products now available at retailers across the country. To celebrate Fair Trade Month, special events ranging from speakers to coffee tastings will take place at universities, stores and other venues around the country. In addition, Fair Trade shoppers will have a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica to see Fair Trade in action.

“Today consumers can find Fair Trade Certified chocolate, coffee, vanilla, sugar, rice, tea and fresh fruit,” says Paul Rice, President and CEO of TransFair USA, the only certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.  “Each product is unique and delicious, but just as important as the quality of our products is the impact of each Fair Trade purchase. Fair Trade empowers poor farmers by giving them the opportunity to trade directly with buyers and earn a better price for their products. By purchasing goods with the Fair Trade Certified label, the consumer is making a real, positive, sustainable difference in the lives of small farmers around the world.”

Fair Trade farmers will be touring the United States in October to highlight their experiences. Among them will be Ethiopian coffee cooperative leader, Tadesse Maskela, who has used the opportunities from Fair Trade to better the living and working conditions of thousands of farmers in his country.
“I am grateful and proud that Fair Trade has brought better conditions to many farmers in Ethiopia,” says Maskela, whose story is told in the new documentary Black Gold. “Shoppers need to know that the choices they make ripple all the way down the food chain. People who are producing their coffee beans, their cocoa beans and their tea deserve the opportunities and protections offered by Fair Trade.”

Shoppers should look for the Fair Trade Certified label in supermarkets, co-ops, coffee and tea houses, and special Fair Trade stores. The label guarantees that farmers and farm workers behind each product receive fair, above-market prices for their crops and fair wages, with additional premiums for community development. Receiving a fair price for their harvest allows farmers to invest in their families' health care and education, as well as protect the environment and reinvest in quality. Fair Trade requires democratic representation and sustainable farming practices that protect the environment, strictly prohibiting forced and child labor, harmful agrochemicals and genetically modified organisms.

During October, shoppers can enter to win the Discover Fair Trade Sweepstakes. One lucky winner and their guest will visit coffee, banana and cocoa cooperatives in Costa Rica, and see firsthand how Fair Trade has transformed their community.  This trip will also include an eco-tour of local waterfalls and nature reserves, and plenty of beach time. Twenty additional first prize winners will receive a basket of Fair Trade products. 

For more information about Fair Trade Month, or to enter the sweepstakes, visit www.discoverfairtrade.org.

About TransFair USA
TransFair USA, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, is one of 20 members of Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO), and the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. TransFair USA audits transactions between U.S. companies offering Fair Trade Certified™ products and the international suppliers from whom they source, in order to guarantee that the farmers and workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods were paid fair, above-market prices and wages. FLO annually inspects producer organizations to ensure that strict socioeconomic development criteria are met using increased Fair Trade revenue, in addition to sustainable farm management, environmental stewardship and democratic decision-making.  For more information, visit www.transfairusa.org.