Macro Wholefoods Fair Trade Organic Coffee Pods - Organic tried and tested

Macro Wholefoods Fair Trade Organic Coffee Pods - Organic tried and tested


 Woolworth's Macro Wholefoods Market range now includes NASAA Certified Organic Espresso Fair Trade Coffee Capsules. Being a lover of my coffee pod machine, I’m so happy that I can now indulge in freshly brewed café lattes at home whilst being a conscious consumer.

The capsule strength is medium, but as a strong coffee drinker it still had enough kick to satisfy.

Its a small change to make, swap your regular coffee pods for the fair trade option and I'm sure with greater demand a greater organic fair trade range will start to appear on the supermarket shelf.

Benefit of Farmers Markets

With so many lovely weekend markets around, I think you are foolish to not to get out and about for a few hours on a Saturday morning to get your fruit and veggies.

Local farmer markers are a perfect opportunity to buy excellent quality, with many locally grown produce and very affordable prices.

While there are many stalls at the local markets that serve as a reseller, who sell imported and local products, there are many local farmer and producer stalls selling to the public. It is a excellent way to see, talk with and taste what our local farmers and producers have to offer.

Some of the benefits of buying locally include;

• Supporting your local community, local farmers, and local producers.

• Locally produced food does not have to travel as far across the country.

• Food is not factory washed and not sealed in plastic or cardboard packaging, which leads to a fresher product.

• Generally organic fruit and vegetables sold at the markets, come at a cheaper price to the leading name supermarkets. In some cases,  a larger selection of organic products are on sale.

• The food at local farmer markets is usually fresher than supermarket bought. They also seem to remain fresher for a bit longer, when stored correctly at home.

• Variety!! Wondering around some markets, I have had to ask stall holders what certain herbs or vegetables are and how they are cooked as they are new to me. As these stalls are not operating on a quick turnaround method of supplying what the majority is demanding, you can come across some weird and wonderful delights that usually would not be stocked in a supermarket.

• The stall holders are so much happier than the teenage cashiers. They are always more than happy to answer questions, offer cooking or storage advice, and many actually encourage the ‘taste test’ before you buy.

So why not ditch the supermarket, and enjoy the fresh air, colourful sights and start being a farmer’s market weekend warrior.

I would love to hear about your favourite local farmers markets – please share a comment below about your favourite market spots

In Brisbane, my favourite markets so far (I have not managed to get around even half of them yet) include;

Kuraby Markets - Every Saturday 6-12pm kurabymarkets  

 

Beenleigh Markets – Every Sunday 6-12pm - Beenleigh Showground

West End Markets – Every Saturday 6-12 Davies Park - daviesparkmarket

Gold Coast Organic Farmers Market – Every Sunday 6am – 11.30am - gcorganicmarket

Rocklea Markets – Every Saturday 6-12pm –  brisbanemarkets

Product Labelling - Date Marks

To get the most out of our shopping dollars, it is handy to understand date marking. This can allow us to better understand when products are safe to eat and also at their best quality and nutritional value.

Product labelling requires the packaging of products to display a date mark. Date marking gives consumers and retailers an indication of the freshness of a product and when best to be consumed.

There is no requirement for any package food with a shelf life of more than 2 years to have a date mark. This could include any canned foods such as canned soups, canned vegetables and other cured or preserved foods. Some manufactures can still provide the best before date, so that consumers know when the product will still be expected to be consumed at its top quality.

Bread can have a ‘baked on” date, or a ‘baked for” date, instead of the best before date, as the shelf life of bread is considered to be less than 7 days in most cases.

Use-By Date
It is illegal in Australia to sell any product that has reached its use-by date. These products need to be eaten or thrown away by this date, as it is unsafe even if it looks fine. Products once they reach the use-by date can lose their key nutrients or even develop a build-up of bacteria, which can be harmful if consumed. Common foods with a use-by date include dairy products and meat produce.
 
Best-Before Date
These products can still be eaten after the best before date, as long as they are not damaged, deteriorated or starting to perish. The best before date must be added to any products that have a shelf life is less than 2 years. Many manufacturer’s also include information for ways to store the food, if these expressed requirements are met, than most foods with the best before date can still safely be eaten on or after this date. These products may lose some quality, but it is still expected to retain full colour, taste, texture and flavour as long as stored correctly.  Common foods with the best before date include canned foods, flour and sugars, biscuits, chocolates and chips.
 

What is Fair Trade?

Fair trade is a social movement that is all about paying better prices, providing fair working conditions and supporting local sustainability in developing countries.

The Fair trade international (FLO) has a number of standards that incorporate social development, economic development and environmental development that must be agreed to by farmers, workers and exporters before any organisation can be considered a Fair trade partner and have the certification to display the Fair trade logo on any products.

The standards include;

• Guaranteed Fair Trade Minimum Price, which is agreed with farmers and workers. 
• The Fair trade minimum price is an agreed minimum rate that will be paid for products, but during times of market fluctuation if the market price is higher than the fair trade minimum price, the market price must be paid, and if the market price is lower, than the Fair trade minimum price has to be paid.  

• A Fair Trade Premium must also be included, which is a further additional payment used for investment in community development. Community projects may include building schools, medical facilities and making easier access to clean drinking water. 

• Financing options for farmers must be available, including prepayments if they require the use of funds up front. 

• Fair Labour Hire conditions, including; 
• Allowing workers the right to join trade unions. 
• The freedom from discrimination of any form. 
• Fair working conditions 
• Fair wages including sick pay and overtime.
• Compliance to health and safety issues. 
• All child labour must not be abusive or forced, with a minimum age of 15 years old. 
• The work for any school child needs to be organised, so the tasks are age appropriate and also done outside school hours or during holidays. 

Fair trade coffee, tea, sugar and chocolate are becoming readily available in supermarkets, while these may sometimes be more expensive, we as consumers have to consider this is a small price to pay for the benefits of others in less fortunate countries unlike ourselves.

Organisations such as Oxfam, have an extensive Fair Trade product list, and the convenience of online shopping www.oxfam.org.au go check their site out. They also have current campaigns and lots of interesting information about how we can become more active in taking the stand for fair trade.

So why not start today, it is even as simple as trying a fair trade product you have not tasted before, and making it a permanent part of your weekly shop. Remember, when you buy Fair Trade Certified goods, you are making a choice that means quality products, improved lives and environmental protection.

For more information, i have included a short clip made by Fair trade Australia and New Zealand they provide more insight into the Cocoa fair trade program currently in Ghana.

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Consumer Power - We All Have It!

I have always felt extremely lucky having a large and diverse group of friends. When we get together, there is always sharing of ideas and information that we have come across, from books, world news or documentaries we have seen.

With corporate social responsibility becoming an extremely published topic over the last few years, a few friends and I have become intrigued with learning and sharing this information as we come across it. Our growing passion in seeking information and questioning what we have always believed in, is leading us to discussing the growing fair trade, organic and green product markets that we are starting to see in supermarkets. One thing we have noticed, is they are only taking up a small section in the supermarket isle, there seems to be a larger isle for a huge variety of packet chips compared to the few rows of organic vegetables and fair trade coffee and chocolates. As a marketing student, I always have to throw in my two cents that the more we start buying these products, the more these supermarkets will start stocking these products, and slowly the product lines will expand and the prices will start dropping.

To explain further, I want to explore the basis of consumer power.

Whenever we buy any product or service, from any shop or supplier, we are contributing to the profitability of that company. This profit is then moved down the line, to their trading partners, suppliers, manufacturers and parent companies. When we are handing over profit, it goes regardless if we agree or strongly disagree with the company and associated trading partner’s ethics.

There still are a large number of people who have a lack of knowledge about business operations, and I also need to say there are many companies, who do not provide, honest and accurate information about their business dealings. This leads to many consumers becoming unknowingly ignorant about the business story behind the products they are buying. They are simply unaware that purchasing a product, contributes to a profit, which could end up in the bank of a company that may not operate ethically or with our best interest at mind.

When groups of people become aware of dodgy manufacturing process, or the unethical trading policies of some corporations, they start exerting their consumer power with lobbying or boycotting. Lobbying creates a strong collective voice that attracts media attention, spreading the word to a larger audience. Lobbying groups are also effective at getting government intervention, demanding legislation reviews or regulation changes.

Over recent years, especially with the growth of the internet, more consumers are learning about companies and their crafty business tactics. Many consumers are starting to take action against these companies, by not buying or showing support towards their business and stopping handing over their own dollar as profit. Boycotting, is this practice when we stop buying particular brands or products because we do not agree with their business values or ethics.

Companies are "in business’' to make a profit, if they want to remain profitable and competitive, they need to supply products and services that consumers want. The more pressure consumers place on companies, the more these organisations are forced to make operational changes, ensuring their brand and product remain in favour in the consumers mind. This pressure, not only can be shown by banding together in large groups such as lobby action, but it can be done by us all on an individual level. If we all start swapping the products we are not satisfied with, for products that we prefer as being more ethical or environmental at the checkout, we can slowly, one by one, make a dramatic affect on product sales.

This movement by the consumer is called a change in demand. Corporations that do not respond to changing demand lose sales, which over time can be detrimental to the success and longevity of a profitable organisation. The more we demand corporations to manufacture products using ethical practices, sustainable resources and healthy processes, the more companies will provide these products and the more companies that provide the market, the better the price of these products become.

Consumer power is a massive driver on pricing strategies that companies use to gain a greater market share. If you have ever considered buying environmental or ethical products, but found them too expensive, just remember that if you start to buy them today, your consumer power will be counted towards generating more demand, which leads to increased supply, with a wider product range at cheaper prices

Here are some thoughts on how you can start to exercise your consumer power;

• Become an informed consumer
  • Researching more about companies, products and brands. Find out about parent companies and trading partners as well. Seek to understand where the product comes from or where it was manufactured.

• Look for alternatives
  • See what your regular stores offer, are there better alternative? If you cannot find what you want, ask the store manager if they can make a special stock order. If you do not want to talk face to face send a message on their Facebook/Twitter walls.

• Google! When you start searching for ethical, green or healthier products online, not only can you find reputable local suppliers, you will be amazed at the number of existing business all over Australia, with online stores and fast delivery times.

• Join online campaigns
  • Many lobbying groups have an online community pages, providing information and even electronic petition where you can digitally sign to show your support at a collective level.