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Members of the public can join team Fairtrade for some free sporty fun and games at the public  launch of Fairtrade Fortnight 2009. The two-week annual campaign (23 Feb – 8 March) highlighting global inequalities in trade and promoting Fairtrade products, kicks off with an action-packed event on London’s South Bank on Sunday 23^rd February 2009 (11am-4pm).

Amongst a range of games and activities, you will be able to make a Fairtrade smoothie under you own pedal power and compete in the mini  hurdling and Fairtrade product weight lifting competitions to win a Fairtrade chocolate medal and stand on the Fairtrade champions’ podium.

Organized by the Fairtrade Foundation and backed by organizations, charities and businesses that support or sell Fairtrade products, the day will give visitors the opportunity to sample and buy some of the 4,500 Fairtrade items now certified and find out more about trade justice campaigns. It is also a great opportunity to meet face to face with farmers and workers from around the world and learn first-hand the difference that Fairtrade is making.

Fairtrade Foundation Executive Director Harriet Lamb said: “We hope that Londoners will join in the sporty fun, and learn about the serious message behind Fairtrade.  We’ve set ourselves a challenge for 2012 to double the impact of Fairtrade for people in developing countries. We’re calling on everyone to join Team Fairtrade to make it happen.

“The Fairtrade movement  is already working with over 7.5 million people  - farmers workers and their families in developing countries around the world but millions more urgently need a better deal from trade in order to tackle poverty. That’s why we are stepping up the pace of change – to reach more farmers and workers and really tip the balance.”

This year’s sporty theme allows visitors to share the Fairtrade Foundation’s vision for tipping the balance in trade in favour of disadvantaged producers in the developing world as outlined in the Foundation’s strategy Tipping the Balance. The Fairtrade Foundation’s Vision for Transforming Trade 2008-2012.  2012 is also a significant year for London, the world’s largest Fairtrade City, when many athletes will come to the UK’s capital for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and be able to enjoy some of the many Fairtrade products available

The Fairtrade Foundation will set its own global record at the end of the two-week Fairtrade Fortnight campaign, when the initiative will culminate in a 24-hour world record attempt for the number of people simultaneously eating Fairtrade bananas across the UK. The mass banana eating will take place from noon on 6 March to noon on 7 March, with hundreds of events expected to take place around the country during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Reflecting concerns about the current economic climate, the Foundation is also holding a top-level conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster on 19 February aimed at developing a better understanding of the links between the food crisis, small-scale farmers and Fairtrade.  The conference, entitled: The global food crisis and Fairtrade: Small farmers, Big solutions? is expected to attract delegates from leading businesses and NGOs as well as a host of Fairtrade producers, MPs and embassy representatives. The conference will be chaired by George Alagiah, Patron of the Fairtrade Foundation, and will include presentations from Justin King (Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s), Gareth Thomas (Minister for International Development) and Sophi Tranchell (Managing Director of Divine Chocolate).

There will also be a series of regional debates on trade, climate change and ethical shopping hosted by Fairtrade networks and supporting organisations.

The campaign will bring together producers, campaigners, retailers, licensees and NGOs around the country to highlight global inequalities and promote Fairtrade, which benefits impoverished rural communities in the developing world. In the UK, the potential of Fairtrade to make a difference to global poverty has inspired people in their roles as both consumers and citizens.

The FAIRTRADE Mark is now recognised by 70% of people in the UK, and more than 4,500 food, drink and clothing items have been certified as well as other goods. The value of UK Fairtrade sales has grown more than tenfold since 2001, reaching nearly £500 million in 2007 and, more importantly still, in 2007 the real volumes (by weight or number) of produce more than doubled. For producers who depend upon the market access that Fairtrade provides along with a fair price and premiums, the extra payment they receive from selling to the Fairtrade market, are based on these volumes. But we still have a long way to go to make trade fair. Two billion people – a third of humanity – work hard to support themselves yet still struggle to survive on $2 per day or less.

Hundreds of Fairtrade Towns, Churches and Schools around the UK will promote Fairtrade at a regional level. Last year an estimated 12,000 separate activities and events took place during Fairtrade Fortnight, reflecting the diverse range of supporters across the country – everything from Fairtrade parades, concerts and debates to coffee mornings, fashion shows and family days. In 2009, the Fairtrade Foundation expects to scale up this activity and reach an even greater number of people.

To join and get a copy of the Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 Action Guide go to http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/resources/downloadable_resources.aspx

 

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Notes to Editors

How to get to there: Riverside walkway (by Gabriel’s Wharf) South Bank, London SE1
Underground: Waterloo, Southwark, Blackfriars, Embankment

1.     The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label is now recognised by 70% of UK consumers and appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – across 59 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

2.     Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs &  spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys & cotton wool.

3.     7 in 10 households purchase Fairtrade goods, including an extra 2.3 million more households in the last year alone, helping Fairtrade sales reach an estimated half a billion pounds (approx £493m) in 2007, a 72% increase on the previous year. By the end of 2007 there were over 430 producer organisations selling to the UK and 632 certified producer groups globally, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and workers.