Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight couldn’t have come about at a better time, could it really?

The horsemeat scandal – that little hiccup that has occupied our newspapers and screens over the last couple of months – although disgraceful and disgusting and lots of other ‘d’ words, has had one positive outcome at least: more people are considering where their food has come from.

There’s been a surge in those opting for smaller butchers selling locally-produced meat. Shoppers are obviously starting to realise food does not magically materialise in store fridges and shelves, neither has it been plucked ready-made from some massive mutant orchards found behind supermarkets (Lasagne trees? Burger bushes?). It has in fact, more often than not, taken a long journey to reach our trolleys . Of course people did know this before, (I hope!), but when strolling around the super-sized supermarkets it’s easy to forget. This recent scandal has forced us to face facts and question the origin of the food and drink we’re consuming.

But not all the things we love can be found locally, and that is exactly why it’s a perfect time for Fairtrade Fortnight. While we’re all pondering where our dinner has come from, why not also ask ourselves who the people involved in sourcing it were and whether they received a fair wage?

A decade ago Fairtrade products were few and far between – Fairtrade Fortnight used to mean finding a few more Divine bars for sale – but now you can find the little green and blue label stamped on a huge variety of products throughout the aisles, priced at little or no more than their less karma-friendly alternatives.

So why not turn the current horse scandal into more of a positive and less of a nag (yes I know, I am hilarious) and, this Fairtrade Fortnight, start questioning not only the source of your dinner, but also whether those people doing the sourcing were fairly treated?

For more info and to sign their petition calling for David Cameron to champion the world’s smallholder farmers head to http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/.