• Food and beverages

    • Your choice of what to eat and drink has global consequences. Here is a brief introduction to some of the things that are going on 'behind the scenes'.

    • Food_and_beverages

  • Coffee

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    • The dark side of coffee

    Coffee production has been linked to slavery and child labor, and many of the beans you buy are grown in countries that don't regulate use of chemicals and pesticides.

    Coffee is not just coffee

    Coffee produced without the use of slaves, child labor and pesticides is widely available. Shade-grown coffee requires fewer pesticides and fertilizers than sun coffee - partly because it provides habitat for birds and insects that eat coffee-plant pests.

    Not so good

    More than 40 percent of the coffee area in Colombia, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean has been converted to sun coffee. An additional 25 percent is currently under conversion.

    A little better

    The production of fair trade coffee only accounts for a small percentage - but it's increasing. In 2005, for example, fair trade coffee increased by 50 percent compared to the year before, reaching 0.51 percent of the world market.

    It makes a difference what you buy!

    A number of fair trade impact studies show that fair trade coffee benefits the communities that grow it. Look for coffee that's organic, fairly traded, and shade grown the next time you go shopping!

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