Fair Trade Products

Many people who work in industries that produce the goods that we buy are not paid fair wages and are not working in conditions that are conducive to safety and the honoring of a person's dignity as a child of God. This is especially true of people in Third World countries. Often the industries are owned by megacorporations whose labor practices make it possible to sell the products cheaply in the U.S. The result is that we get cheap goods but the laborers can barely make a living and have no rights or benefits in their work place.

More and more there are organizations that are set up to help small producers offer living wages and rights and privileges. These organizations help these producers market their goods. These products are known as Fair Trade products. But these goods are more expensive because of the living wages and benefits the workers receive. If we buy these products at a higher price we are helping the small producers and their workers make a living. This allows them to live with dignity and respect. We are faced with the choice of buying cheaper goods which keeps poor people in desperate poverty or of buying more expensive products which will raise the level of well being of the producers and their workers.

Should our parish support Fair Trade products? We can buy fair trade coffee which the youth have been selling in the parish. We know of fair trade bananas producers which we will introduce in the fall of 2007. If you know of other fair trade products share those on this blog.