Okay, here is a good one for the "fair-trade" discussion (or what I like to call the: "friar-triad missionaries").
From the linked-to page (visit the page to read the rest of the summary and to download the full report):
[Transnational Investigation] The FAIRTRADE Chocolate Rip-off
In a six-month transnational project led by the Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR), journalists hailing from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and the Netherlands investigated the alleged benefits received by cocoa farmers in West Africa via the FAIRTRADE label.
Their conclusions are shocking: whilst the chocolate consumer in the West pays a significant mark-up for honest chocolate, these benefits amount to little or no improvement in the lives of cocoa farmers. In some case, because of FAIRTRADE cooperatives increasing dominance, farmers were even worse off than before.
The full dossier is titled The FAIRTRADE chocolate rip-off, and was partly funded by the Programme for African Investigative Reporters (PAIR). The story, parts of which have already been published in Dutch, has caused a stir in the Netherlands.
Pretty much nothing new that we don't know or have discussed on TheChocolateLife. Just adding more...
Best to all.
-Mark
updated by @mark-j-sciscenti: 04/10/15 08:11:49PM
