Guidance Notes: Fair Trade Training program for food services associates

These are guidance notes are to be used in conjunction with the Fair Trade power point presentation, which can be downloaded here.

These documents have been developed by Canadian Fair Trade Network to support the training and education of food services front-line staff working on Fair Trade Campuses. The development of these documents has been sponsored by Chartwells who operate in a number of Fair Trade Campuses. The documents are freely available to be used by any companies or institutions wishing to train staff.

IntroductionThe aim of this training package is to provide educational materials for trainers working with food service front-line staff on Fair Trade Campuses. The package is made up of two documents: Fair Trade Power point presentation & Fair Trade Guidance notes

The aim of the Guidance Notes is to provide supplementary information, in addition to the notes on the power point presentation. If trainers would like more information than is provided here, additional resources are recommended in the final section. The presentation and the next section of the guidance notes are split into the following seven sections.

1. Why fair trade?2. What are the impacts of fair trade?3. What is Fairtrade certification?4. What is Fairtrade Campus designation?5. The Fairtrade movement6. Fairtrade Quiz7. Talking with students

The presentation: supplementary information

1. Why fair trade?

Farming communities around the world face many challenges including lack of education, proper access to health care, and safe environmental protection strategies. With the world population set to reach more than 10 billion by 2050, and the impacts of climate change disproportionately effecting poor farmers who rely on agriculture, it is likely that the challenges faced by developing countries will only increase.

As global populations become more connected, consumer expectations have also increased. In North America and Europe, we regularly consume chocolate from Africa, sugar from South America, and coffee from all parts of the globe with little understanding of where these products come from, and how they were produced. We assume that fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and other foods will always be available at our local stores. In reality, these products represent vast supply chains that extend across the globe and often come from a complex network of producers, manufacturers, exporters, transporters, importers, distributors, and retailers.

Currently, small-scale producers suffer from unequal trading relationships. They have no bargaining power when trading with large corporations and as a result are systematically taken advantage of. They are forced to take the low prices they are offered or face not being able to feed their children. Most often the farmers who produce our coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, fruits and more, live in conditions of abject poverty.

In part, this situation has to do with fluctuating market prices. When international market prices drop unexpectedly producers struggle to survive and are often unable to afford food for their families or school fees and medicines for their children. Because farmers are paid so little for their goods, they are unable to save money to invest in their farms, and so work their way out of the poverty cycle. In addition, they don’t have access to the training and education they need in order to improve their farming techniques and use better technologies.

In many developed countries, however, governments shield their domestic industries from market fluctuations by providing large subsidies or by using quotas to protect their farmers. In addition, money is invested in research and development to ensure the best technologies and inputs are available. This creates unequal trading terms on the global market, violates terms of free trade, and prevents farmers in developing countries from being able to compete internationally.

When producers do not earn enough money to support their families, they are not able to invest in the laborious practices and expensive inputs which are needed to sustain their farms. They are forced to try and maximize production year after year, on small parcels of land, and with next to no resources. This tendency has long-term consequences for the local environment (e.g. deforestation and loss of soil nutrients) and consequently their ability to produce food in the future.

To ensure the security of our communities and the planet as a whole, it is necessary that we not only ensure our goods are produced in a more sustainable manner, but that we work to build mutually beneficial relationships that will reverse the mechanisms of producer exploitation.

2. What are the impacts of fair trade?

The key impacts for producers are: Better prices More stable prices

Other positive impacts include: Access to markets and market information Access to training Pre-finance Funds for community livelihood projects Increased stability (long-term relationships and contracts) Access to credit Empowerment of producers and producer organizations

Moussa Keita, UC-CPC de Djidian, Cotton, Mali

"Today, all my children can go to school because I can afford to pay the school fees; we eat every day, we are able to eat when we are hungry. I can also meet the costs of medicines should we need them. Before, it was difficult to find enough money to get by. Only three of my children used to go to school; today all of my children go to school. Our kids are well dressed, they have uniforms and they have materials for school. With the premium we’ve built two classrooms, a teachers staff room and a shop."

"Now we use organic inputs, fewer insecticides and more compost. There has been an improvement in the quality of the cotton and there is a better yield (before 1.2 tones per hectare, today 1.7 tones per hectare). There have been lots of changes with switching to Fairtrade. With the extra profit I was able to buy my first cart. The cart allows me to transport the cotton, which makes the farm more efficient and productive."

For more case studies visit the Fairtrade Foundation website.

3. What is Fairtrade?

Fair trade is a market-based approach that encourages businesses and consumers to support social and environmental sustainability. As a response to conventional trade systems, fair trade builds an alternative approach based on mutually beneficial relationships between producers and consumers.

Fair trade is a powerful tool that goes beyond charity and other aid programs. At its core, fair trade aims to empower marginalized producers with proper resources, capacity, and key relationships to improve their living conditions their broader communities.

Principles of fair trade

Fair trade aims to empower producer communities by:

building stronger relationships among producers, consumers, and businesses

ensuring farmers and producers are paid a fair price that accounts for a number of factors including cost of production and adequate living standards

streamlining supply chains to create more direct trading relationships

supporting producers to improve access to markets, resources, and industry knowledge

supporting communities by creating the means to invest in health and education

ensuring decent standards for labour, the environment, and respect for cultural identity

Fairtrade Certification

Fairtrade (‘Fairtrade’ as opposed to ‘fair trade’) is the trademark of Fairtrade International. Fairtrade International is a product certification organization that sets certification standards, organizes support for producers around the world, and promotes trade justice internationally. It is a non-profit, association that represents 27 member organizations and three producer networks. There is 50% producer representation on the standards committee, board of directors, and general assembly.

For a product to be Fairtrade certified and have the logo on the packet, both the producers and the buyers have to meet Fairtrade standards. A third party audit takes place annually to ensure that farmers and buyers are meeting the standards properly.

Fairtrade certification has a standard for democratic smallholder co-operatives and another for estates that employ hired workers. Benefits of Fairtrade certification include

pre-financing for goods

long-term trade partnerships that encourage greater producer control

development criteria that ensures conditions of production and trade of certified goods are socially, economically, and environmentally responsible

in the case of hired workers: decent wages, the right to form unions, proper health and safety, and provision of adequate housing where applicable.

The Fairtrade system also has specific terms of trade that buyers must meet:

Fairtrade Minimum Price: This is the minimum price that must be paid by buyers to producers for a product to become certified against the Fairtrade Standards. It is a floor price, which covers producers' average costs of production and allows them access to their product markets. The Minimum Price represents a formal safety net that protects producers from being forced to sell their products at too low a price when the market price drops very low. It is the lowest possible price that the Fairtrade payer may pay to the producer.

Fairtrade Premium: This is an amount paid to producers in addition to the payment for their products. The use of the Fairtrade Premium is restricted to investment in the producers’ business, livelihood and community (for a small producer organization or contract production set-up) or to the socio-economic development of the workers and their community (for a hired labour situation). The producers democratically decide its specific use.

4. What is Fair Trade Campus designation?

Institutions including, towns, cities, universities, college campuses and schools, can all achieve Fair Trade designation if they meet the certain standards. In Canada these standards are set by Fairtrade Canada (the Fairtrade International licensing body in Canada). The aim of the program is to recognize and celebrate the commitment that these institutions are making to promote fair trade amongst their members and citizens.

Fair trade is becoming an important issue among Canadian campuses, and a growing number of designations are being awarded each year. As of March 2014 there are 6 Fair Trade Campuses in Canada, and another 46 working towards achieving the designation. A summary of the requirements for Fairtrade designation is below. If you would like to review these in more detail, you can download the Fair Trade Campus Action Guide from the CFTN website.

Fair Trade Campus is awarded to universities and colleges that meet all criteria in three categories.

a) Availability: Campuses must ensure that the requisite product options are available at applicable campus locations.

b) Visibility: Campuses must ensure that proper signage is in place to promote awareness and support for fair trade products.

c) Committee: A body of campus representatives must take responsibility for the efforts to achieve, maintain, and progress campus designation.

a) AvailabilityThe availability criteria comprise clear targets for particular products, while also challenging campuses to push beyond specific standards.

Location requirements: The campus must ensure all food service locations under its direct control, including those operated by caterers and food service companies, offer a range of Fairtrade certified products. Required campus locations include:

o cafeterias o restaurantso catering o loungeso vending machines o eventso coffee shops o officeso stores o “We Proudly Brew” outlets

Requirements do not includeo franchises operating on campus o businesses that rent space on campus but operate independently

Product requirements: All required campus locations must meet the following requirements:o all coffee served is Fairtrade certifiedo at least 3 Fairtrade certified teas are available wherever tea is servedo at least 1 Fairtrade certified chocolate bar is available wherever chocolate is sold

Additional requirements: A demonstrable effort be made by purchasing managers to increase the number and type of Fairtrade certified products they purchase. The university/college and students’ unions must encourage independent businesses, departments, and societies on campus to meet Fair Trade Campus criteria.

b) VisibilityFair Trade Campuses are required to communicate the availability of fair trade and to educate campuses about what it means.

Signage: Signs must be prominently displayed and maintained at all campus-run food service locations. Where prominent signage is not possible, there must be some indication of fair trade availability. Signage must indicate availability of products and offer information about fair trade

Campus community outreach: Campuses must demonstrate support for fair trade products on campus through community outreach events.

o At least one outreach event must have been held on campus within the 12 months prior to submitting an application.

o Events must be held in a visible, high-traffic campus space.o Events should prioritize visibility, engagement, and participation.

c) CommitteeA body of campus representatives must take responsibility for the efforts to achieve, maintain, and progress campus designation. The Committee is responsible for submitting the Fair Trade Campus application and maintaining compliance to program standards. It is also responsible for expanding the presence of fair trade on campus, increasing both availability and visibility of certified products, measuring success, and annually renewing designation.

Why does the Fair Trade Campus program only support products that have the Fairtrade Mark?

With so many claims of fairness and sustainability in the marketplace, 3rd-party verification is an invaluable tool to ensure purchases actually do connect with these values. The Fairtrade Mark represents the best known and most respected ethical certification system in the world. It provides an easy and reliable way to know that products have met credible standards that are set and monitored following best practices, public input, and regular audits. The Fairtrade system is also co-owned by the farmers and workers that benefit from it. This provides additional assurance that the system will continue to have a positive impact.

5. Fairtrade movement

Fair trade is an international movement with a long history of change and evolution. Fair trade represents a vehicle for discussion and awareness around global issues and the production and consumption systems behind them. Fair trade is a process for social change – it’s about consumers voicing their opinions about the types of businesses they want to support, and supporting those that follow ethical principles. There are three pillars that support the growth of the fair trade movement:

Availability; In order for fair trade to have a positive impact on producer communities, it is necessary that fair trade products be available to consumers. The more available these products are, the more viable these options will be to consumers. All internationally sourced goods should be required to be certified under socially sustainable criteria.

Visibility; Consumers need to be able to differentiate between fair trade products and conventional products, and understand the difference between. We are all consumers, and it’s important that when making our purchasing decisions, social sustainability is kept top-of-mind.

Demand; It’s not enough that consumers understand the issues of social sustainability; it’s just as important that they act on this understanding. Showing support for fair trade products in our purchasing decisions will help drive demand for fair trade products, making them a more viable option for businesses and producer communities around the world.

Key stakeholders

Fair trade represents a grassroots, consumer-led movement based on communication and co-operation. In addition to producers and consumers, the movement has three key stakeholder groups

Businesses represent huge potential in supporting producer organizations, supporting other ethical businesses, and promoting awareness among customers.

Certifiers ensure that fair trade products adhere to a strict set of standards.

Civil society is in a unique position to work with businesses and certifiers to ensure both parties continually strive to reach their potential in maximizing impact. This often takes the form of working with certifiers to ensure standards are in-line with the goals of stakeholders, helping businesses find mutually beneficial solutions, and helping to support awareness and demand for fair trade products among consumers.

Fairtrade in Canada 8 Fair Trade Campuses (as of July 2014) 19 Fair Trade Towns and Cities (as of July 2014)

For more information download Fairtrade Canada’s annual report

Fairtrade Worldwide

6. Fairtrade Quiz

Below are the questions and answers from the presentation. Some additional questions are also suggested below if you want to make the quiz longer!

For a Fair Trade Campus, which 3 Fairtrade products MUST be available?ANSWER: To be a Fairtrade Campus, Fairtrade coffee, tea and chocolate must be available in cafeterias and other catering facilities.

Name 2 other products that could also be Fairtrade?ANSWER: Food options include, sugar, ice cream, bananas, fruits, biscuits and spices. Non-food items include, soccer balls, beauty products, wine, handicrafts and uniforms. Ask associates which other Fairtrade products they have seen. Ask if this was on the campus or somewhere else.

True or False: To be a Fair Trade Campus, at least 50% of coffee in the cafeteria must be FairtradeANSWER: False. All coffee (100%) must be Fairtrade. For tea, however, it is a minimum of 3 options and for chocolate only 1 option. Ask associates why they think that is the case. Ask associates to discuss with their neighbours, what the benefit or disadvantages are of having some Fairtrade and some non-Fairtrade options.

True of False: Fairtrade provides farmers with a minimum priceANSWER: True. The minimum price is different for each product and is set at a level so that it covers the cost of production. Ask associates why this is important. If the market price drops really low one year, having a minimum floor price provides farmers with a safety net – whatever the market is doing farmers can still provide food for their families and pay for other essentials. In addition, Fairtrade provides farmers with a social premium, to be spent on community projects.

Ask each team to draw the Fairtrade logo

Who decides how the Fairtrade premium is spent?Producers. Smallholder co-operatives are set up as democratic organizations. Each farmer has one vote when making key decisions. How the premium is spent will be decided by a vote at the organizations Annual General Meeting

7. Talking points for students

This is a role-play to encourage staff to talk to students about fair trade. Some discussion points for each of the questions are below.

1) What is fair trade?

Fair trade is a movement, which aims to empower small-scale producers to improve their own living conditions. By implementing fair trade principles, consumers, producers and businesses can build trading relationships that are good for people and planet. Fair trade principles include:

building stronger relationships among producers, consumers, and businesses

ensuring farmers and producers are paid a fair price that accounts for a number of factors including cost of production and adequate living standards

streamlining supply chains to reduce inefficiencies and create direct trading relationships

supporting producer organizations to improve access to markets, resources, and knowledge

supporting communities to invest in infrastructures such as health and education

ensuring proper standards for labour, environmental sustainability, and respect for culture

2) How does fair trade help farmers?Fair trade helps farmers in developing countries by ensuring that they always get a price that covers the cost of production – no matter what the market is doing. Fair trade also provides farmers with funds to invest in community projects such as local businesses, health and sanitation. In the case of hired labour (e.g. tea pickers), fair trade means decent pay and safe working conditions. In addition, the Fairtrade system supports producer organizations to access new markets, and get pre-financing during buying season.

3) Why does campus have fair trade products?This is a Fair Trade Campus. It has been designated as Fair Trade because of the significant commitment that students and staff have made to the fair trade movement. Specifically, we stock Fairtrade coffee, tea and chocolate in all the cafeterias and cafes. In fact, 100% of the coffee is Fairtrade. The student committee also runs events and campaigns to raise awareness if you want to get involved.

4) How can I be sure the benefits reach farmers?If a Fairtrade product has the logo on the packet, then producers and buyers have been working within the Fairtrade International system. This means that all parties have met the standards and have been audited by a third party for verification.

Additional resourcesIf you would like to find additional resources about fair trade, the following websites share reports, videos, case studies and photographs about fair trade.www.cftn.cawww.fairtraderesource.orgwww.faitrade.org.uk

If you are looking for specific information please feel free to contact the CFTN (info@cftn.ca) and we can help you find what you are looking for!