E-Newsletter...

Think About it

Fair Trade: An Introduction
By Mindy Bowne Hancock

What if we knew where our food came from—would we shop any differently? What if we knew who had produced our food and how they were treated? What if you were given two options: Option 1 is for cheap coffee grown and picked by people who are starving because their employers do not pay them enough and they have no other job to turn to; Option 2 is for coffee that costs a little more but is grown by a farmer who is paid enough to live on. Which option would you choose? Are these not questions that Christians ought to care about?.

These are just the kinds of questions that the Fair Trade movement wants people to ask. It is not unusual for us to hear reports about sweatshops used to make our clothing or underpaid laborers picking vegetables for our favorite fast food chains. It can seem overwhelming when we first begin to realize that our buying habits contribute to people’s suffering. It’s easy to think, “but what can I do about it?” Fair Trade is one answer to this big question.

Fair Trade products include food, clothing, and other items which have been produced by people who were paid a fair wage for their work. Fair Trade organizations ensure that their workers have been treated well and paid enough. There are several Fair Trade organizations out there, including Equal Exchange, TransFair, and the Mennonite Church’s Ten Thousand Villages. This e-newsletter is dedicated to making you aware of the Fair Trade resources which are available to help you minister even through your shopping!

Buying Fair Trade products is a great way to live out God’s compassion. It’s practical—benefiting both you and the person who worked hard to produce your product.

Next time you go to the grocery store, look for the Fair Trade symbol.

Next time you visit a coffee shop, ask about their Fair Trade line.

For those stores who don’t carry Fair Trade products, consider writing them a letter encouraging them to begin doing so.

Businesses listen when people who buy their products speak out. Christians can make a difference in the lives of suffering people; Fair Trade shopping is one great way to begin.

Look for this label

Click here for a printable version of the article.

Click here to download a PDF printable version of the entire newsletter.