Co-ops, Fair Trade and Democracy in Action
Fair Trade Mural at THE WEDGE Co-op in Minneapolis, MN
Election season is here! November 8, 2022 marks the midterm election in the United States, our seminal event in which you have the opportunity to exercise your democratic rights. October marks two other important milestones in how you make decisions that shape the world as well: Co-op Month and Fair Trade Month.
The US has over 40,000 co-ops of all types. Those co-ops support countless jobs that create over $25 billion in wages. Your neighborhood food co-op is just one of the thousands of community-owned organizations that work towards greater equity within our food system.
Fairtrade works to rebalance inequitable trade. Fairtrade America, the organization behind the blue and green logo you see on packages across the country (and the world!) collaborates with farmers to develop standards for working conditions and pricing across the globe. Oftentimes, this means that farmers work in cooperative groups to negotiate better pricing and to make decisions that benefit both individual farmers and the community.
The seemingly coincidental overlap of October being Co-op Month and Fair Trade Month illustrates an important fundamental idea critical to both celebrations: the power of individuals when they work together. This same idea is foundational to the US democratic system. While our national elections occur only once every two years, co-ops and fair trade labeling provide an opportunity to exercise our collective voices year round. Every time you make a purchase, you are choosing the world you want.
By shopping at food co-ops, you support a local, community-owned and democratically-governed business. This often means you are supporting better compensation for co-op workers. This means that you are purchasing goods more directly from local sources, shortening supply chains and collaborating with local farms and communities. And if you are a co-op member-owner, you literally own the grocery store and get a vote to choose the board of directors and impact the co-op’s future direction.
Fairtrade works in a similar fashion. Purchasing Fairtrade products is buying into a system that provides more fair compensation and work standards for those that produce your food. While the connection may not be to a local community, Fairtrade products often include items that can be sourced only from specific parts of the globe - like bananas, coffee, cocoa, and tea. Purchasing Fairtrade products is an important way to collaborate with global farms and communities.
Fair Trade Month and Co-op month occurring at the same time gives food for thought about how we choose our values. The synergy between the two movements provides opportunities for you to vote with your dollars regardless of whether it is an election year or not. That synergy is clearly illustrated in the Choose Fairtrade. Choose the world you want. Campaign.
This October, Fairtrade America is teaming up with National Co+op Grocers to put the collective movements together. Local muralists in three cities, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland are painting the portraits of real farmers on the walls of Sevananda Natural Foods Market, Outpost Natural Foods and Peoples Food Co-op, respectively. Putting farmers’ faces in front of shoppers as they make their purchases is a chance to reconnect shopping choices with the impact on those that produce our food.
Celebrate this Co-op Month and Fair Trade Month this October with us. Get out to your local food co-op (use this handy store finder), and purchase some Fairtrade products. You can actively participate in democracy year-round. Get out and vote with your dollar this Co-op/Fair Trade Month!
Tags: co-op difference, fair trade
