Co-op America 's Supermarket Campaign
Community activists, students, people of faith, environmental organizations, women's groups, and local businesses -- together with concerned consumers -- have an important role to play in helping promote economic justice for farmers worldwide. How? By shifting your purchases either as an individual, a workplace, a congregation, a school, etc. to Fair Trade, and working to make Fair Trade widely available in your community by encouraging supermarkets and other businesses to carry Fair Trade products such as coffee, tea, cocoa, bananas, and other fresh fruit that is now coming in to the market.
This guide provides you with: 1) Action steps that you can take to promote Fair Trade coffee and other products. 2) Sample text for consumer comment forms and corporate addresses for some major retail chains. 3) Information for finding green businesses offering Fair Trade Certified products. Plus, we've included a fax-back “We Did It” form so you can let us know what you and your organization are doing to promote Fair Trade. We'll be posting responses online to help encourage more organizations to take action! 1 . Encourage your members and people in your community to fill out comment cards each and every time they go to the store. On your Web site, or in your next newsletter, member mailing, or e-mail newsletter, ask your members to do their part to promote justice for famers by (a) switching their purchases to Fair Trade, and (b) filling out comment cards every time they shop and asking their local supermarket to stock more Fair Trade coffee and other products. If possible, include sample text for your members to use. Co-op America has sample text available in a downloadable format on our Web site, http://www.fairtradeaction.org and we've included sample text in this package. Comment cards work! During our campaign to get Procter & Gamble to carry Fair Trade Certified coffee, we sent consumers to select supermarkets to fill out comment cards. The message got through to P&G. 2. Beyond Comment Cards -- Talk to the Manager One way to make sure that your voice is heard is to speak directly to the store manager. Ask your members to take an extra minute out of their shopping trip to convey their request for Fair Trade to the manager. 3. Power in Numbers -- Use Your Organizational Clout Your organization can help send a powerful message to supermarkets by: Sending a letter to a major supermarket chain in your area. Have the letter signed by your staff, board, or committee on behalf of your organization. (See the next page for corporate addresses of some major supermarket chains.) Drafting a letter or petition and circulate it among your members or people in your community for signatures . Ask if you can pass the petition at a community meeting or set up a table at the next community event. Remember: you don't need thousands of signatures to demonstrate support for Fair Trade. Sending a delegation representing your organization to speak with a local or regional store manager. Make sure you contact the store headquarters to let them know whom you met with and that you asked for more Fair Trade products in their stores. ResourcesSample Supermarket LetterFeel free to use this sample text or draft your own.
Corporate Addresses for Some Major National Supermarket ChainsMore supermarket addresses are listed on Co-op America 's Web site, www.fairtradeaction.org. Albertson's
Safeway
Kroger
Customer Relations
Trader
Joe's Wal-Mart
Stores Whole Foods Market Inc. Finding Fair Trade Products Check out socially and environmentally responsible businesses listed in Co-op America 's National Green Pages(TM). Visit www.greenpages.org. For more mainstream retail locations, visit TransFair USA 's Web site, www.fairtradecertified.org |
