There are loads of reasons to buy fair trade products. Making it a priority to buy fair trade products such as coffee, tea, salt, and chocolate, is something I learned about and started doing about two years ago.
I was studying in Australia and the first day my program leaders brought us all coffee but said we couldn't order anything with chocolate because it wasn't fair trade certified. I thought this was really strange at first and sort of just shrugged it off. But, throughout the program, I started learning more about the significance of it, and how spending the extra couple dollars to cast my vote on fair treatment meant the world to the person trying to make a fair wage.
A product being certified as fair trade means that an organization (like Fair Trade USA) has gone to a farm and verified that there is no child/slave labor, that working conditions are safe, that workers are paid fairly and so much more. Buying fair trade helps to reduce poverty and encourages environmentally friendly methods of production. The fact that some products from stores like Walmart are insanely cheap often means that fair trade standards are not being met, and buying these products only prolongs this problem.
Buying fair trade, organic products ensures these products will contain far fewer pesticides, be higher quality and more nutritious, be GMO-free, and enable you to not support unfair treatment of workers. It's a win-win, and something I'm passionate about sharing! Those are the top reasons to buy fair trade products.
