By Caitlin Knudsen
The Daily Cardinal
A new trend has permeated the nation in the past decade, and this trend has even arrived in Madison—Fair Trade Certified products are now found in various coffee shops throughout the city, including Fair Trade Coffee House, Espresso Royale and Michelangelo's Coffee House.
While a bag of Guatemalan coffee beans marked Fair Trade would seem like the correct item to purchase, there is a lot more to Fair Trade than one might think.
In addition, while Fair Trade is a positive step forward in protecting the livelihood of individual growers across the globe, some may say that it is not enough. There are even individuals who argue against the practice of Fair Trade; individuals complain the Fair Trade certification process asks higher prices for products that are not necessarily of a better quality.
According to the Fair Trade Certified website, coffee was first certified in 1998 and, in the United States, the only products that can be certified as Fair Trade are coffee, tea, herbs, spices, chocolate, fruit, rice and sugar.
This small selection of products ensures that just over one million producers in developing countries in the world benefit. There are still millions more growers who produce handmade crafts and other goods; these people are not being legally protected.
Likewise, the actual structure of the world economy is not paralleling the benefits of Fair Trade certification. For example, tariffs and subsidization by the governments of individual nations impede the progress of the people in the developing countries who work hard to make a living.
An additional piece of information to take into account is the fact that the future of Fair Trade is uncertain. In an increasingly mechanized world where convenience is key, a farm that uses machinery instead of a tedious labor force will usually achieve more efficient outputs and profits. Since this is a reality, legal protection may eventually be futile when it comes to importing foreign products.
Despite the inevitable struggle between Fair Trade producers and the producers who use machinery, Fair Trade wins out in regard to the environment.
Fair Trade Certified products are forbidden to contain any genetically modified organisms, which not only preserves the health of the soil, but also takes into account the health of the actual farmers.
In this far from perfect world, it is a common occurrence to weigh the options and still be unsure of what decision to make, but small steps are the right steps to create big change.
Although Fair Trade Certified products found in the United States are not as widespread and representative of all of the products available in the world, they still alleviate some of the perils that producers in developing countries face.
Despite the benefits of Fair Trade certification, these products should not assuage the guilty consciences of the students on the UW-Madison campus.
There should be a demand for more Fair Trade certifications, and the United States should follow the example set by the British who, according to the BBC, are moving to amend their list of product categories that can be certified to include products such as meats and vegetables. Although many arguments exist for and against Fair Trade products, it is not a time for indecision.
It is important that, especially in a reputed city of strong opinions, the students do not play around with their yarn-ball ideas only to walk away from them to take a catnap.
