25 min
Your Favorite Fair Trade Certified™ NatureSweet Tomatoes Just Got Sweeter With Lori Castillo, Vice President Of Marketing At NatureSweet And Jesse Appleman, Head Of Fresh Goods Department At Fair Trade USA The Produce Moms Podcast
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- Health & Fitness
“At NatureSweet, our commitment is really to transform the lives of agricultural workers in North America, no matter what.”
Lori Castillo (3:02-3:11)
NatureSweet’s ability to transform the lives of their agricultural workers across North America just got stronger now that they’re partnered with Fair Trade USA! Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization in Oakland, California and the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in the North American market.
You’ve probably seen the Fair Trade label on your favorite produce items at the grocery store, but what does it actually mean? First, it means that the farm or factory that produced that product (Fair Trade certifies flowers, seafood and is best known for their work in textiles) is being regularly inspected against the Fair Trade standards. These standards are extensive and cover social practices, economic practices and environmental practices at the farm level.
Secondly, for every product that is sold with a Fair Trade label on it, a portion of that product’s price goes back directly to the workers on that product’s farm into a special fund just for them. No one else has access to it but the workers, who then decide how the money is used through democratic voting. The workers invest the money into projects that address the greatest needs of their communities, like access to medical and dental services, transportation for children to get to school, or making clean running water available.
It’s empowering for the farm workers to make this decision since they understand their communities’ needs best, and in turn, they can work with the Fair Trade organization to prioritize the projects and turn them into a reality.
“There's nothing more important than initiatives like this that are transforming the lives of those who work in the agricultural industry and that is exactly what Fair Trade is all about.” Lori Taylor (19:03-19:17)
If you’re concerned about the markup on Fair Trade products’ prices, don’t be. There’s a small premium put on the price of goods at the point of sale that’s merely fractions of a penny. You pay that premium at checkout, but the total cost could be, for example a few pennies per pound. That might not sound like much, but those fractions of pennies add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions of dollars.
The Fair Trade organization empowers farm workers, yes, but also ensures the economic, social and environmental practices on a farm are met at a very high standard. Things like safe and responsible working conditions, ensuring workers live in safe housing, get adequate rest and meal breaks, and that they’re paid sick and maternity leave are all examples of what these standards include.
Another important focus of Fair Trade is that there’s transparency with workers when they are being hired. Unfortunately there are plenty of times when workers don’t understand their rights under the law, how their pay is calculated, what benefits they are entitled to and what procedures are in place to gain access to those. Fair Trade eliminates that and wants to make the experience for a farm worker just as excellent as it might be for a high up executive in a corporation.
Do the products from Fair Trade farms actually differ from others? Anyone understands that if they feel safe, respected, empowered and dignified at their workplace, they’re going to be invested in the quality of their work and put in an extra level of attention to what it is they’re doing. Plus, knowing that Fair Trade also benefits a worker’s family and community increases their overall wellbeing and livelihood. You might not visibly see a difference, but you can enjoy Fair Trade products knowing the people behind it have been treated humanely, with care, respect and the highest standard of working conditions.
“This is 100% sustainability and you can contribute to the improvement of the agr
“At NatureSweet, our commitment is really to transform the lives of agricultural workers in North America, no matter what.”
Lori Castillo (3:02-3:11)
NatureSweet’s ability to transform the lives of their agricultural workers across North America just got stronger now that they’re partnered with Fair Trade USA! Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization in Oakland, California and the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in the North American market.
You’ve probably seen the Fair Trade label on your favorite produce items at the grocery store, but what does it actually mean? First, it means that the farm or factory that produced that product (Fair Trade certifies flowers, seafood and is best known for their work in textiles) is being regularly inspected against the Fair Trade standards. These standards are extensive and cover social practices, economic practices and environmental practices at the farm level.
Secondly, for every product that is sold with a Fair Trade label on it, a portion of that product’s price goes back directly to the workers on that product’s farm into a special fund just for them. No one else has access to it but the workers, who then decide how the money is used through democratic voting. The workers invest the money into projects that address the greatest needs of their communities, like access to medical and dental services, transportation for children to get to school, or making clean running water available.
It’s empowering for the farm workers to make this decision since they understand their communities’ needs best, and in turn, they can work with the Fair Trade organization to prioritize the projects and turn them into a reality.
“There's nothing more important than initiatives like this that are transforming the lives of those who work in the agricultural industry and that is exactly what Fair Trade is all about.” Lori Taylor (19:03-19:17)
If you’re concerned about the markup on Fair Trade products’ prices, don’t be. There’s a small premium put on the price of goods at the point of sale that’s merely fractions of a penny. You pay that premium at checkout, but the total cost could be, for example a few pennies per pound. That might not sound like much, but those fractions of pennies add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions of dollars.
The Fair Trade organization empowers farm workers, yes, but also ensures the economic, social and environmental practices on a farm are met at a very high standard. Things like safe and responsible working conditions, ensuring workers live in safe housing, get adequate rest and meal breaks, and that they’re paid sick and maternity leave are all examples of what these standards include.
Another important focus of Fair Trade is that there’s transparency with workers when they are being hired. Unfortunately there are plenty of times when workers don’t understand their rights under the law, how their pay is calculated, what benefits they are entitled to and what procedures are in place to gain access to those. Fair Trade eliminates that and wants to make the experience for a farm worker just as excellent as it might be for a high up executive in a corporation.
Do the products from Fair Trade farms actually differ from others? Anyone understands that if they feel safe, respected, empowered and dignified at their workplace, they’re going to be invested in the quality of their work and put in an extra level of attention to what it is they’re doing. Plus, knowing that Fair Trade also benefits a worker’s family and community increases their overall wellbeing and livelihood. You might not visibly see a difference, but you can enjoy Fair Trade products knowing the people behind it have been treated humanely, with care, respect and the highest standard of working conditions.
“This is 100% sustainability and you can contribute to the improvement of the agr
25 min