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Article: Fair Trade coffee enthusiasts should confront reality.
- Article from:
- The Cato Journal
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Cato Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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From university cafeterias to supermarkets in the developed world, people are buying Fair Trade (FT) coffee certified by the FLO-Cert, the certifying entity of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). The assumption is that such purchases will contribute to the welfare of marginalized producers in the developing world. While sales of FT coffee in Europe have stabilized, the North American and Japanese markets are growing rapidly. Total sales increased 40 percent from 2004 to 2005, to a total volume of 33,992 metric tons (MT) (FTO 2005).
What is "Fair Trade"? According to FINE, the umbrella organization that comprises the four largest Fair Trade ...