Here in Oz, McDonalds are advertising that they are now using Rainforest Alliance coffee and thanks to a comment here, I thought I'd find out a bit more about it...
I quote from the Rainforest Alliance Website:
"As a leader in the development of best management practices for sustainable land use, we offer third-party certification under the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal to forests and farms managed in ways that reduce environmental impacts and increase social benefits. Our SmartWood program certifies well-managed forestry businesses to the strict standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Our Sustainable Agriculture program certifies farms that meet the exacting standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network."
As I understand it this means that at least 35% of McDonalds coffee is certified as having been farmed sustainably. This is a great step and is a responsible step for the earth's future. One thing concerns me though, that there is no mention of a fair deal for workers, unlike Fair Trade - thoughts anyone?
lets not forget tea (im very much a tea drinker) its the second most popular drink in the world(water being the first) ....what sort of tea do macca's use? considering there are more health benefits from drinking tea ....whats on the menu here?? wouldnt have the foggiest ..haven't been to macs for years ........
honestly if maccas where using fair trade coffee i still would not purchase it, as big companies like that do not exist to benefit their own workers(or any workers) but the shareholders and board of directors.....lets not forget minumum wages were brought in by big companies (endorsed by goverments) to protect their own interests
While third world countries are scratching around for rice to feed their own children and sacrificing their land by over plantation to keep us Westerners happy I'm thinking we should slow down our coffee intake?......or any intake for that matter that relies mostly on produce grown in poorer countries
I think they were looking into tea as well...i vaguely remember something about it. I think avoiding Mcdonalds is probably the best but i'd say that is a minority of people so i like the idea of getting the knowledge out there to the mainstream.
about the rainforest alliance - "including protecting the environment, the rights and welfare of workers and the interests of coffee growing communties"
I'm sure the Rainforest Alliance is easy for Mcdonalds to be apart of, and it is no stretch for them to get this tag financially. You have to admit if theres a bangwagon they are on it.
OK, I happily admit I could be wrong - I only just looked it up tonight, so thanks for adding that. In their protocols etc... it didn't appear to mention structure for protecting workers, more so protecting the environment etc... so I wonder how they protect the rights and welfare of workers, but I don't know enough to make a judgement. I do think that
a) this is a commendable move and great for our long term future
however
b) I agree that it is probably more cost effective for them than fair trade, and their press releases pretty much say that
Coffee is often grown in conjunction with cocoa, and most coffee producing countries also produce cocoa... As you are probably aware, this leads to many issues, such as child/slave labour, and also illegal logging of rain forests to accommodate plantations.
It would be pertinent to find out where Mickey D's are sourcing their cocoa products too methinks.
my thoughts are the less we talk about macdonalds the better as any advertising (good or bad) is a feather in their cap...and me thinks they advertise enough.....however this is my say.lol.......maccas giving fairtrade a go? what a joke.....why dont they give their own workers a fair go??? Did you know the starting salary for a young person is around 5 bucks? their cafes are usually staffed by young people run off their feet and they get bugger all doing it.......lets all support small businesses and give your local cafe the thumbs up!!!
With you there! Not somewhere we generally go, and I was very sceptical of their latest claims, but a lot of people will not look into and think they are making an ethical choice without knowing enough to really think it through....
PS and when you are at your local cafe, why not ask them about where they get their coffee and whether it is fair trade? the more people ask, the more they will think it is worth doing!
there is little cards that you can get from fair trade retailers that have the whole i would prefer fair trade speel (about business card size) i leave them everywhere i buy a coffee. we actually have alot of the local cafe's in freo switching to fair trade coffee, tea's and cocoa. it's great! as for maccas, sounds like a band wagon with lotsa BIG holes and dodgy fine print that the average consumer will look past and not know any different. if they go get certification either IFAT/FTO or FT then i will eat their sugar buns and drink their crappy burnt coffee but not before! ::)'s
Exactly, I ask whenever I am getting a coffee... I prefer to speak to the owner too, not some vague staff member. It lets them know that people are interested in fairtrade products, and it may influence their purchasing habits in the future.
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