Nestlé’s New Fair Trade Coffee Causes a Big Aroma

A few days ago, global ‘food’ giant Nestlé, announced it was releasing Nescafé Partners’ Blend, a line of coffee endorsed by the much respected FairTrade Foundation. The coffee has been “bought from democratic smallholder organisations certified to supply the international Fairtrade market, and traded according to agreed Fairtrade standards including payment of the Fairtrade price.” The Foundation say that people have been “pressing the major companies to offer Fairtrade coffees.” And here it is. But all are not happy with the Foundation. Indymedia UK for one, reckon it “undermines its ...

... reputation and will undoubtedly damage the success of fairtrade." And the War on Want’s John Hilary is quoted thus: “the fair trade movement was set up to challenge the practices of companies like Nestlé. How can such a company deserve the fair trade mark?” The stoush underlines the messy terrain we’ll need to traverse, if we are to transition big business to more responsible practices. We demand they act, then as soon as they make some moves in the right direction we scream “Spin”, “Greenwash”, “Sellout”. But to move from black to white you surely have to pass through some grey. Regular readers will know this writer prefers Girlcotts to Boycotts, as means of making that passage possible. Via ::Sydney Morning Herald.

NB: Stoush = [Austral. or NZ slang] [v] to thrash or beat (a person); to fight [n] fighting; a brawl or fight, a scrap