Organic and Fair Trade Goods

[JAH23]

Is it important to any of you revlefters to purchase organic food, or fair trade goods?

Organic food is often produced on family run farms, and not contaminated with the chemicals large corporations put in their products. However, it can be more expensive.

As far as fair trade goes, it's pretty self explanatory why this better.

I just want to find out how many of you make an effort to only purchase organic/fair trade.

[FreeFocus]

Under capitalism, there's no such thing as "fair trade," really. The only conceivable circumstance in this scenario would be farmers selling to you directly, without a middleman distributor taking a portion of the value that the farmer produces. Nonetheless, I've bought "fair trade" goods before. I try to buy organic because it's usually healthier, although of course I prefer to farm my own stuff, that way I save money and I can make it as healthy as possible.

[pastradamus]

Fair trade is bollocks. Maybe it gives the farmers a little bit more cash....but what about all the tea-picking labourers? What about transport workers? etc etc...

Organic food is good but usually very overpriced. For example in my local market one can buy a chicken for €3.99 but an organic chicken will cost €8.99 so to me that's a no-brainer. Another thing I find in this recent trend of farmers markets is that Im paying over the odds for stuff that is very overpriced and low in quality. Though I've found solace in one thing recently and thats when I buy fish. I like to purchase straight from fishermen after a catch. Its cheaper, fresher and the money goes straight to these hard-working individuals rather than to a middle man. I know there are people here who dont eat meat so id like to ask them what advice they have for vegetables? as In whats a good way to get reasonably priced vegetables, without having to grow them (I live in an urban area with no possible tillage) but also a way to get vegetables that will benefit a hard-working farmer?

[ellipsis]

I do both whenever possible/practical, which is rare because I don't make bundles of money. I reject the notion of social justice through "equitable" consumption. However, any way in which one can reduce the harm that they cause other sentient beings, I support.

[JAH23]

What do you mean by equitable consumption theredson?

And, the way I see it, I would rather purchase products made with more intergrity (fair trade) than those that are not. Even if that item is slightly more expensive. For example, I could buy a coca-cola, which is unethically produced, for $1.25, but I also have the option of purchasing an organic cola produced more ethically than the coke. Fair trade may not be perfect, but I believe it to be less evil.

Also, it is quite hard for me to grow my own vegetables, as I reside in an urban area. However, my city does have a farmers market, but I haven't ever checked that out...I'm thinking I definately should now.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Fair trade is a liberal feel better about your self thing, whilst in reality there is no such thing as a fair wage for workers because wage slavery is an illegitimate part of society.

[Spawn of Stalin]

The only sure-fire way to buy fair trade is to buy locally from people you know, as a general rule, if something has the Fairtrade Foundation logo printed on it, it's not really fair trade, it just means that the farmers are paid the amount specified by the Fairtrade Foundation, and it's not a lot, it's sort of a voluntary minimum wage scheme, well since when was the minimum wage fair? STP is quite right, fair trade is just a feel good cause to help us forget about the appalling conditions that agricultural workers have to put up with.

[Lord Testicles]

Is it important to any of you revlefters to purchase organic food, or fair trade goods?

Not at all. Organic food is an overpriced fad with no noticable benifits to you or the earth, in fact some organic practices are more destructive than conventional methods.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-great-organic-myths-why-organic-foods-are-an-indulgence-the-world-cant-afford-818585.html

[Jazzratt]

Not at all. Organic food is an overpriced fad with no noticable benifits to you or the earth, in fact some organic practices are more destructive than conventional methods.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-great-organic-myths-why-organic-foods-are-an-indulgence-the-world-cant-afford-818585.html

This point is worth reiterating. It's also worth adding that GM and conventional farming techniques contribute higher yeild crops and that organic farming methods are pricing working class consumers out of the market, along with various producers who cannot afford to pay the exhorbitant fees and jump through the interminable hoops required to get the "organic" stamp.

On a more personal note it astounds me how people manage to pick up, for example, a malnourished looking carrot covered in nodules and convince themselves it looks more appetizing and healthier than its larger, cheaper, brethren.

[Lyev]

My family actually buys most of our vegetables and whatnot straight (no middleman or anything) from an organic farm about 10 minutes away, and there's a separate guy for our eggs, but we live in the country, and we're quite middle class. But actually, it's not that much more expensive, in fact, I think our eggs are cheaper the supermarket equivalent. But another point, if I'm honest with you I generally find organic products to be tastier.

And as for fairtrade, I try to buy fairtrade, but as people have said, wage-labour is wage-labour. I guess it's just capitalism with a slightly nicer face on it. It doesn't immediately cure any problems, it just soothes them. But some fairtrade stuff does seem to be a much better alternative; things are often made in co-ops and helps family's buy an education that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. Another thing about fairtrade, that isn't actually intrinsically linked to it, is that most fairtrade companies are a lot smaller than their big, corporate, globalized counterparts.

That's my two cents, you'll probably all call me a smug middle-class wanker or something.

[ellipsis]

Is jazzratt an apologist for monsanto now?

[Invincible Summer]

Is jazzratt an apologist for monsanto now?

To be fair, the problem isn't directly w/ GM foods, but the privatization of it all within capitalism. The fact that corporations like Monsanto own the rights to all their GM seed and such is disgusting, esp since they go after poor farmers who unwittingly have the seed blown onto their farms.

I think GM foods have lots of benefits and there is a lot of promise in the technology. Only if it was not for profit and distributed for everyone, as well as worker-controlled...

[ellipsis]

My two real points are this: The current systems of agro-industry and food production and consumption are unsustainable and are causing harm to the planet, farm workers and consumers. Certified Organic is largely bullshit because it has become commercialized and co-opted by large argo-business. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water, there is a lot of truth in health/organic/local food movements.

Same goes with Certified Fair Trade, it is nice and less inequitable but not ideal. There are similar ideas: There is a coffee roaster in Western Massachusettes called Dean's Beans (http://www.deansbeans.com/). They not only pay above standard market price for their coffee, they also sponsor community projects (wells, live stock, etc.) in the places where they sources their coffee. All of the domestic employees receive a profit share and now all workers at the source farms are also partial owners. And the coffee kicks ass. Even this model is not perfect, but it is much better than the status quo.

[JAH23]

I agree that fair trade and the majority of organic food products are not 'ideal', but what is ideal and realistic while living under capitalism? To me, if a product is offered and has fair-trade status, I would rather buy that one, than another product that does not. Is this action considered revolutionary? No. But, it does make me feel more ethical.

[pastradamus]

Fair trade is a liberal feel better about your self thing, whilst in reality there is no such thing as a fair wage for workers because wage slavery is an illegitimate part of society.

Spoken like a pro. Well said.