In my line of work, and in the subjects that I research, I tend to come across, and get asked a great deal of questions about, the issue of Fair Trade and what it means to us in Canada. What I have come to realize is that Fair Trade is an incredibly important process in Canada. Choosing to purchase products that have been certified as Fair Trade assists in creating a better environment by fairly compensating the farmers and workers from developing countries, who assist in creating these products. In Canada, there is a company called Trans Fair who are Canada's only non-profit certification and public education organization promoting Fair Trade Certified products. They work to improve the livelihood of developing world farmers and workers. According to Trans Fair, Fair Trade in Canada has a similar structure to a supply chain model of business. Fair Trade has importers, producers, consumers and retailers who all work to get their products sold in Canada. The principal difference is that these products are monitored and certified in such a way that guarantees that they act in accordance with their standards of fairness, transparency and accountability. In Canada, there are currently many products that have been certified Fair Trade. These products include bananas, cocoa products (such as chocolate, syrups, baked goods, frozen desserts and drinks), coffee, cotton, flowers, honey, quinoa, rice, shea butter, sugar, tea, spices, and wine. How do you know that the product you are purchasing is Fair Trade? Simply read the label. Fair Trade certified products have a label which states "Fair Trade Certified,". If the product has this label, you can rest assured that the product has met standards set by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) International. According to Trans Fair Canada, "FLO was created in 1997 and works to guarantees that products sold with a Fairtrade label conform to Fairtrade standards and contribute to the development of disadvantaged producers and workers." (www.transfair.ca) I don't know about you, but I intend to try to look out for and purchase fair trade products as often as I can...