Uni helping to get fair deal

 

With the help of the University, Wolverhampton became a Fair Trade City in 2004. The University is part of the City’s Fair Trade Partnership, hosting the annual AGM, and is now working to gain Fair Trade status in its own right.

 

Catering Services have for the past three years supported Fairtrade by taking part in Fairtrade Fortnight and stocking some Fairtrade items.

 

This year, they are increasing support for this worthwhile initiative, by ensuring that all refectories offer Fairtrade hot beverages, orange juice and some confectionery products. Since September, all hot beverages supplied to meetings have been Fairtrade.

 

The Fairtrade Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal.

For a product to display this mark, it must meet international Fairtrade standards. These standards are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International.

 

Producer organisations that supply Fairtrade products are inspected and certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. They receive a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production and an extra premium that is invested in social or economic development projects. A small percentage of money is also placed in an emergency fund, so that if a disaster strikes, like the recent Hurricane Dean, these producers have funds to grow more crops, without the need to rely heavily on overseas aid.

 

For more information visit www.fairtrade.org.uk.