As part of an effort to increase awareness of fair-trade issues, banana farmer Jovanny Coronel from Ecuador spoke last week to first- and third-graders at the Academia Ana Marie Sandoval in north Denver. The students ate banana splits made with fair-
trade ingredients donated by Wild Oats. The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees “companies have complied with strict economic, social, and environmental criteria, thereby creating a more equitable system for producers,” says TransFair USA, the nonprofit group that issues certifications. TransFair has certified more than 90 million pounds of products – including coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice and fruits – since 1998, which translates to more than $67 million in added income to farmers and farmworkers in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Last year, Colorado coffee roasters bought more than 100,000 pounds of fair-trade beans.
– The Denver Post
