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Fair Trade Certified
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| LABEL REPORT CARD |
| How meaningful is the label? |
Is the label verified? |
Is the meaning of the label consistent? |
Are the label standards publicly available? |
Is information about the organization publicly available? |
Is the organization free from conflict of interest? |
Was the label developed with broad public and industry input? |
| Highly |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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LABEL CATEGORY:
Pest Management, Social Responsibility, Sustainable Agriculture |
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WHERE YOU'LL FIND THIS LABEL:
 FOOD
BEVERAGES
: coffee, hot chocolate, tea
CANDY
: chocolate bars
COCOA
: cocoa powder
FRUIT
: bananas, grapes - table, mangoes, pineapples
GRAINS
: rice
SWEETENERS
: sugar
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WHAT THIS LABEL MEANS:
The Fair Trade Certified™ standards aim to ensure that farmers and farm workers in developing nations receive a fair price for their product; have direct trade relations with buyers and access to credit; and encourage sustainable farming methods, without the use of a dozen of the most harmful pesticides, and forced child labor. To bear the label, products must be grown by small-scale producers democratically organized in either cooperatives or unions. In order to use the Fair Trade Certified label, the buyer must also be willing to pay up to 60% of the purchase in advance for some products, including coffee, tea and cocoa, with added premiums for social development projects, including healthcare, educational and capacity-building projects that can improve quality of life for farming communities. In these ways, TransFair USA hopes to reduce the vulnerability of small-scale farming to the volatility of the global marketplace by creating market demand for quality, ethically produced goods.
TransFair USA is the only certifier of Fair Trade goods in the U.S., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and one of twenty members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), the umbrella organization that sets certification standards based in Bonn, Germany.
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CONSUMERS UNION EVALUATION:
The Fair Trade label is meaningful and clear with standards that support the concept of a social responsibility, pest management and sustainable agriculture label. The criteria ensure that a fair price is guaranteed to the farmer. The program also supports credit plans, training workshops, limits harmful pesticide use and encourages organic techniques in farming especially in developing countries.
TFUSA has a policy that no staff or contracted inspector affiliated with TFUSA may have any vested interest in the products that they certify.
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PROGRAM NAME:
Fair Trade |
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ORGANIZATION NAME AND CONTACT INFO:
TransFair USA (TFUSA)
1500 Broadway, Suite 400
Oakland , CA
94612
Phone: 510-663-5260
Fax: 510-663-5264
URL: www.transfairusa.org
Email Contact: transfair@transfairusa.org
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ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
HISTORY
TransFair USA (TFUSA) was created in March, 1996 by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), incorporated in April 1996. and began certifying in 1998 as a non-profit organization. TFUSA is one of 17 members of FLO, the Fair Trade Labeling Organizations association and secured it’s license to certify from FLO’s predecessor, TransFair International.
FUNDING
Initial seed funding was provided by The Ford Foundation. Ongoing support comes from certification fees, foundation grants, alternative investments and individual gifts. TransFair USA's goal is to become financially self-sufficient in supporting the Fair Trade label from certification fees alone.
STRUCTURE
TransFair's board of directors is comprised of independent parties that have no decision making authority for, or financial interest in the sale of Fair Trade labeled products.
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LABEL STANDARDS AND CRITERIA DETAIL:
click here for label standard - criteria test and analysis
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Michael E. Conroy- Chairman of the Board
Tom Bullock- Chairman Emeritus
Susan Clare
Paul Hodge
Rick Larson
Douglass T. Lind
Pedro F. Mata
Katy Murray
Ellen Peck
Paul Rice, Ex officio- President and CEO, TransFair USA
Carlos Alberto Vargas Leitón
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