Bournemouth Officially A Fairtrade Town
5 March 2014, 10:22 | Updated: 5 March 2014, 10:28
Residents of Bournemouth can proudly say their town is recognised for caring about how food is trading around the world.
This follows the exciting news that Bournemouth Council’s application to achieve Fairtrade status for the town has been successful.
The Council has been working with the community as part of their campaign to deliver a powerful message on how the town wants trade to work.
Already, shops, restaurants and workplaces in the area have been involved in selling Fairtrade products and schools have also created awareness of the issue within their curriculum.
Councillor David Smith, portfolio holder for Planning & Environment, said:
“This is fantastic news and shows that we are committed to supporting Fairtrade and using products which have the Fairtrade mark. It has been a community effort and it’s great to see a number of organisations getting on board and supporting us with the campaign.
“It’s important that we understand where the food we eat comes from so that we make the right choice and buy food which we know has given producers fair market value for their goods.”
Chris Shiel, Chair of the Fairtrade Town Steering Group, said:
“Well done to all those involved in helping us achieve this status. We have had some great feedback from the Fairtrade foundation who commented on how strong and comprehensive our application was and that is credit to everyone who has been part of the bid. The next stage is to get more local businesses involved and encourage schools to apply for Fairtrade status.”
The news comes during Fairtrade Fortnight, taking place from Monday 24 February to Sunday 09 March 2013, which aims to encourage people to think about where our food comes from and to support the people who grow it by buying products carrying the Fairtrade mark.
As part of Fairtrade Fortnight the Council is inviting people to enter into a Fairtrade rap competition where people can write, perform and post a rap song of why Fairtrade is important to them. Entries must be posted to the Bournemouth Fairtrade Facebook page or on twitter #BmthFairtradeRap by March 9 2014.
The Fairtrade mark guarantees producers in the developing world fair market value for their goods. Sale of Fairtrade products also generates a Fairtrade Premium which is invested locally in social, environmental or economic development projects.