With Fairtrade Fortnight fast approaching, the organisers are reminding of the positive impact that simple shopping switches can have.
For Fairtrade Fortnight 2020, the Fairtrade Foundation is engaging the public with a fun ‘storybombing’ treasure hunt, placing 35,000 women farmer stories in local communities, spanning Land’s End to John O’Groats. A short celebrity-voiced animation telling cocoa farmer Edith’s story and why shoppers should ask for Fairtrade in theirlocal store will be boosted online throughout the two-week campaign.
There will also be events held across the UK, including five flagship events, followed by panel discussions with guest inspirational women speakers in Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Oxford, designed to highlight the inequality experienced by the women and girls behind the multi-billion global chocolate industry.
Two of the women cocoa farmers will tour the UK, telling the public what life is like for the people behind chocolate, many of whom are trapped in poverty, despite working full time; two million cocoa farmers across West Africa are struggling to survive, earning as little as 74p per day, despite working in an industry worth £4bn a year in the UK alone.
Cliona Duffy, Senior Partnerships Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, commented: “The UK is a nation of chocoholics, but many of us don’t know the bitter truth of exploited farmers behind much of the food we enjoy. Fairtrade supports farmers to get a better deal, as it is the only certifier guaranteeing a safety net of a set price if the market collapses and extra premium investment on top on every Fairtrade purchase.”
Find out more about how you can get involved by visiting www.fairtrade.org.uk
