‘For example, in my own diocese – the Catholic diocese of Arundel and
Brighton - I have been told that not to buy fairtrade products is a sin worse
than theft; that not buying fairtrade products is making a deliberate choice to
take from the poor; and that one should never buy products that appear to
have the virtues of fairtrade but that do not have the official Fairtrade mark:
this is actually stated on the diocesan website. I have also heard an Anglican
clergy fairtrade coordinator describe parishes as being “obstructive” if they did
not seek fairtrade status.’
‘I have very serious reservations about the strategy of catching young minds.
My former secretary once said to me that her Brownie group was having a
competition to see how many cups of Fairtrade coffee they could serve to
family and friends. My own (then six-year-old) son was told in Beavers about
the benefits of Fairtrade coffee compared with coffee produced by nasty
multinationals. My 12 year old was told to design an advert for Fairtrade for
his geography homework. Young people are being used to promote a
trademarked brand. These issues are complex. If the people the Fairtrade
Foundation drag into the net in schools and Guide and Scout groups do not
have the maturity to understand the issues fully then, frankly, they are being
brainwashed.’
Philip Booth,The Economics of Fair Trade: A Christian Perspective
Institute of Economic Affairs Current Controversies Paper
16 July 2008
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