ucts are clearly marked with a “Fair
Trade Certified Ingredients” label.
There is no minimum percentage of
fair trade ingredients required for this
label, as the label signifies that only
certain ingredients are certified.
Currently over 50 companies offer
ingredients that are both certified fair
trade and organic. Fair Trade Certi-
fied ingredients that are now available
include cocoa, chocolate, coffee, tea,
almonds, Brazil nuts, olive oil, sugar,
honey, molasses, quinoa, rice, ba-
nanas, coconut, mango, pineapples
and passion fruit. There are also many
spices and herbs available including
vanilla, clove, white pepper, cinna-
mon, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger,
turmeric, mace, cardamom, hibiscus,
lemon verbena and peppermint.
Many of these are available as extracts
and flavors. For personal care manu-
facturers, organic, Fair Trade Certified
shea and cocoa butter can be incorpo-
rated into formulas. Emerging ingredients that will enter the market
in the near future include beans, more processed food items like
purees, and coconut products and grains. A complete list of suppliers
who offer dually-certified organic and fair trade ingredients is avail-
able from TransFair USA.
Environmental Standards
Because of certain fair trade guidelines, many fair trade products
are naturally on the path toward organic. TransFair also pays a per-pound premium to encourage organic conversion and to enable
farming families to become the best possible stewards of their land.
This means that there are bound to be many more organic, Fair Trade
Certified offerings in the future. Fair trade standards require:
• Restrictions of agrochemical use: bans the use of chemicals internationally recognized as dangerous, including chemicals found on
the World Health Organization’s Class Ia & Ib lists, the Pesticide
Action Network “Dirty Dozen” list and the United Nations Environment Program’s Prior Informed Consent Procedure list.
• Integrated Crop Management (ICM) Systems: ICM systems that replace pesticides and other agrochemicals with natural farm management techniques are required. Farms are required to
demonstrate continuous improvement of their soil and water conservation practices, as well as to implement recycling, composting
and low-impact waste disposal systems.
SEPTEMBER — OCTOBER 2010
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