| The celebrations were kick-started by the Dundee and Tayside Chamber of Commerce, who began today’s events with a Fairtrade breakfast in Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre.
Representatives from local businesses were invited to join with colleagues to sample the wide range of Fairtrade breakfast products.
All the products available came from farmer’s co-operatives in the developing world, where workers are guaranteed better prices, decent working conditions, fair wages, long term contracts, health and safety standards and security and trade union recognition.
Fairtrade muesli, fruit, including bananas, grapes, dried pineapple and mango, honey, marmalade, jams, sugar, tea, coffee and juice were all on the menu.
Later, Lord Provost John Letford hosted a civic reception in the City Chambers, where singer Sheena Wellington officially declared Dundee as Scotland’s first Fairtrade City (a similar event was held at exactly the same time in Aberdeen, which shared the accolade).
Pupils from St Mary’s Primary School in Dundee presented a banner to the city to celebrate the occasion and pupils from Grove Academy gave an account of their recent Fairtrade activities.
A special cake, made with fairly-traded ingredients, was cut and sampled by retailers, cafe owners, schools, churches and voluntary organisations, all of whom have worked to make Dundee a Fairtrade City.
The events are also part of the nationwide Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations and tonight, the People and Planet group from Dundee University are hosting a ceilidh in the Bonar Hall.
When the campaign started in May 2002, there were only 15 retail outlets and four cafes serving Fairtrade products in Dundee.
Now there are 31 shops and 16 cafes where it is possible to get a cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee, purchase a geobar or chocolate.
A number of businesses, churches and voluntary organisations have also switched to Fairtrade, and both universities and the Presbytery of Dundee are aiming for Fairtrade status.
To attain Fairtrade status from the Fairtrade Foundation, Dundee has successfully achieved five goals.
A steering group has been set up to ensure a continued committed approach to the initiative and the products are used by a number of local work places and community organisations, including churches and schools.
The council has passed a resolution supporting the initiative, agreeing to use Fairtrade products in offices, and identified a councillor to work in partnership with the local Fairtrade steering group.
The campaign has been able to demonstrate popular support and a sufficient number of local shops and cafes provide at least two of the Fairtrade products.
This year’s theme, Taste for Life, is a celebration of quality, both for the producers in their standard of life, made possible by Fairtrade, and for the quality of products for the consumers.
The Fairtrade Company was celebrating another success today as the first products with the Fairtrade Mark hit the shelves 10 years ago. |
