Fairfood site: FAQ answers

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Untitled Document

FAQ answers

1. Who are Fairfood?
Fairfood is a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation, whose purpose is to stimulate and inform consumers willing to eat and drink fair products. Fair products are called fair because their production and trade contribute both to the battle against hunger and poverty in developing countries and to the sustainability of food production chains.

2. What does Fairfood do?
Fairfood assesses the fairness of products sold in supermarkets and creates campaigns. On scrutinizing, a wide range of sustainability aspects are judged. On the one hand, we look at working conditions, fair trade and corruption, and on the other hand we consider factors like the groundwater level. The results enable the consumer to make a well-founded choice. Meanwhile, we constantly lobby politicians and try to persuade companies to make their production chains more sustainable.

3. When was Fairfood founded?
Fairfood was founded in 2000 by Eelco Fortuijn. By the end of 2002, sufficient financial resources had been found and the organization obtained an official operational status.

4. How many people work at Fairfood?
Today the organization consists of 25 paid employees, around 60 in-house volunteers and a team of approximately 220 external supporters.

5. Is Fairfood a verification label?
No. A verification label is a guarantee for a certain type of production process, for instance, one without pesticides. Fairfood focuses on comparative product assessment. Fairfood also takes people, the environment and the economy into account in its assessments, while verification labels usually concentrate on just one of these factors.

6. Organic, fair trade, Fair Trade Original, Fairfood: what is what?
The qualification ‘organic’ implies certain ecological guarantees. Fair trade refers to fair trading and “Fair Trade” to an international verification label. Fair Trade Original is a trading company with its own product range. Fairfood only campaigns and lobbies.

7. Is it possible to buy products from Fairfood?
No. Fairfood is not a trading company and therefore has no shops nor does it produce food products. Fairfood does sell merchandise, such as the "f…food" t-shirt and the Fairfood shopping cart coin. These can be found in our webshop.

8. What is Fairfood’s definition of fair?
The term ‘fair’ according to Fairfood means relatively fair. Fairfood labels a product as fair if its sustainability is above average or it is progressing faster than its competitors. This implies that fair products have not necessarily been produced or traded perfectly, but they that do less damage to people, the environment and the economy than their competitors.

9. What does Fairfood mean by ‘above average’?
Fairfood compares products within a product group. A jar of peanut butter from brand A is compared to jars from brands B, C and D. Each product is given a rating based on a fairness survey. With these ratings, an average is set for the product group and the jars rated above this average will be labelled as fair.

10. What is the Fairfood vision?
Fairfood wants certainty on food resources for everyone. Fairfood blames the poverty and hunger in developing countries largely on western countries’ trade policies. Its solution lies in the hands of consumers: we can beat hunger by eating fairly!

11. What are Fairfood’s future aims?
Until the end of 2010, Fairfood’s primary focus is on the Netherlands. By then, the organization will have expanded its activities to other countries, crossing borders like more and more companies and governments are doing. By 2020, Fairfood hopes to be the main European campaigning and lobbying organization for food consumption sustainability.

12. What are Fairfood’s research methods?
Fairfood determines the fairness of supermarket products on the basis of a list of questions, the so-called Product Fairness Questionnaire (PFQ). A PFQ is sent to each brand owner. The 2007 Questionnaire consisted of 32 questions, all based on existing international standards and treaties. By answering these questions, brand owners give an indication of how and whether their production processes comply with these criteria, which are related to people, the environment and the economy. In 2007 Fairfood performed this annual survey for the second year running. A total of 1400 products were assessed and this number will rise to 3000 in 2008.

13. How do I know which product is fair?
For now, Fairfood’s results are not (yet) displayed on the product as you find it in the supermarket. There is a complete and updated list of 1400 assessed products on this website. Fairfood has also developed a shopping list; the so-called Z-card. These Z-cards are available at events, can be taken from Boomerang racks or ordered from Fairfood.

14. Are fair products more expensive than unfair products?
No. Fair products are not necessarily more expensive than others. Due to Fairfood’s comparative approach many everyday supermarket products are already fair. This means you’ve probably often eaten fairly without knowing it. Click here to see the complete fair product list.

15. Which political parties can be associated to Fairfood?
Fairfood is politically independent. Some aspects from different party manifestos do however correspond to Fairfood’s objectives. This is why some politicians support Fairfood.

16. Who does Fairfood collaborate with?
Fairfood collaborates with several NGOs and ministries (such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Food Quality). Fairfood also participates in the Fair Trade Coalition, the MVO Platform, the EEN campaign, the ‘Tropical Commodity Coalition’ (tea, coffee & cocoa), the Millennium Platform, the Food Trade and Nutrition Coalition and the Dutch Soy Coalition.

17. How does Fairfood find financial resources?
Fairfood raises funds through a variety of channels, such as subsidies from development organizations, state aids, sponsorship (in kind) and donations. ICCO is Fairfood’s structural partner. Fairfood is also supported by non-food companies like Claire Communications and Goeroe Media. For more information, please check Fairfood’s annual reports and/or take a look at the general overview of Relations Fairfood's partners.

18. Does Fairfood finance projects in developing countries?
No. Fairfood is not a relief agency. Fairfood focuses on fair food and drink products in the Netherlands and the EU.

19. Are there any other organizations that work like Fairfood?
No. Within the EU there are no similar organizations. Fairfood’s method is unique, especially because of its comparative assessment, focusing on everyday supermarket products and caring for people and the environment as much as for the economy.

20. How can I help Fairfood?
There are many ways in which you can help Fairfood. The easiest is to eat and to drink fairly. Click here to view the complete list of fair products. Here, you can create your own fair shopping list and find more information on particular ingredients. You can also sign up as a supporter or sign the petition. Then there’s always the possibility of working at Fairfood: the perfect place for an internship or your first work experience.

Is your question not here? Are any of the answers above not clear enough?
Don’t hesitate to mail your question to info@fairfood.org and we will contact you as soon as possible!