Fresh Fruit Program
As consumer awareness grows, social responsibility is
joining health and environmental concerns as a significant factor in purchasing
decisions. Fair Trade Certified™ fruits are bringing the best of
both worlds together — creating healthy, happy farming communities
and ecosystems, and delivering the healthiest, most flavorful produce
to consumers.
Fair Trade Certified fruit means:
- Fair prices for farmers
- Good working conditions
- Eco-friendly farming practices
- The best quality fruit
Fair Trade Certified fruit is grown in nutrient-rich
soil by small farmers or plantation workers, who pick their crop with
care. Fair Trade farms are producing some of the best organic and conventional
produce in the world, including bananas, mangoes, pineapple and grapes.
Fair Trade Certified fruit means
everybody profits.
With Fair Trade certification, fruit farmers and farmworkers gain hope
and dignity. Fair Trade fruit importers and distributors earn a reputation
for ethical dealings, benefit from strong marketing support from TransFair,
and enjoy a loyal and growing customer base. Retailers not only please
their customers with their commitment to social standards, but also are
able to protect their margins and maintain profitability in the increasingly
competitive world of produce.
In Europe, where Fair Trade Certified bananas have
gained market share as high as 24 percent and are growing at a rate of
over 50 percent per year, grocery retailers have found Fair Trade Certified
bananas to be an answer to the "banana price wars" instigated
by mass market retailers. Fair Trade certification is a powerful marketing
tool that adds value to commodities, allowing retailers to choose the
higher ground, both morally and financially.