Choose the Fairest One of All

Romancing with chocolates? Show your love for your Valentine and for humanity by giving fair trade chocolates, those luxurious treats containing cocoa produced with high labour standards such as no forced or child labour practices. It's a growing trend worldwide in 2001, international sales volumes of fair trade cocoa increased by 23 percent over 2000 to 1,240 tonnes, according to Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). Here at home, FairTrade Canada realized its first fair trade cocoa sales in 2001.

Look for brands made by companies like Rapunzel, Cloud Nine and La Siembra. For instance, Ottawa-based La Siembra, maker of Cocoa Camino chocolates, guarantees more than 10,000 small cocoa and sugar farmers a fair, above-market price for their crops. In fact, La Siembra became the first Canadian company to be awarded the prestigious Socially Responsible Business Award, presented last October at the 18th Annual Natural Products Expo in Washington, DC. For more information on fair trade, see the FLO, fairtrade.net, and TransFair Canada, transfair.ca. To tempt your beloved this Valentine's, pick up organic, fair trade chocolates at your health food store today.