5 Benefits of The New Fair Trade Finder App

Image used with Permission from Fair Trade U.S.A

(October is Fair Trade Month. I was invited to download and review the Fair Trade Finder App by a representative of Fair Trade U.S.A. I received no payment or gifts.)


I'm an app head. I have apps for finding farmer's markets, zeroing in on organic produce, and ferreting out safe food. Healthy and environmentally conscious noshing and dining are second nature to me. I haven't focused much, though, on buying Fair Trade Certified products. That's about to change now that I've downloaded the new Fair Trade Finder App from Fair Trade U.S.A.

The Fair Trade Finder App encourages purchasing that supports farmers and workers in developing countries to receive a fair wage for their products and labor. Fair Trade Certified farmers and suppliers get support to increase sustainable farming and profitable business practices. After downloading and using the free app for the past week, here are the benefits I've realized:

1. You don't have to have a smartphone to use the app. Fair Trade U.S.A made this new app available on Facebook as well as downloadable through the iPhone and Android markets. Once you "like" the application on Facebook, you can search for or add Fair Trade products based on your location (enter zip code or city name). Available products are indicated by location "pins" that show an image of the product and its location.  

Image used with Permission from Fair Trade U.S.A

2. You can search for Fair Trade Certified products anywhere in the world. As you would expect, Fair Trade products are plentiful in large cities, but I saw pins on the map that indicated tea and coffee available in Vancouver, Honolulu, and London. With this app, you can search the planet for Fair Trade Products and recover detailed maps with street names. The map moves when you move, which shows you how much closer you are to the product you seek.

3. You can add products to the app. My favorite food store, Mom's Organic Market, has a variety of Fair Trade products. I added the Adina Iced Coffee drinks as well as the store location to the app. (I had to sign-in to Facebook first, so I assume that you must have a Facebook account to add products.) 

Image used with Permission from Fair Trade U.S.A

4.  You can search for specific types of Fair Trade products. I didn't know there was such diversity among Fair Trade Certified products. Besides tea, coffee, and sugar, there are Fair Trade Certified wine and spirits, apparel and linens, fruits and vegetables, flowers and plants, nuts and oils, honey, chocolate, beans and grains, and even sports balls. You can search for these products with the app. (I noted, though, that locations for bottled teas and coffee are plentiful. There are fewer pins for the other products, but that will likely change as users add products.)

5. Your purchase helps to change lives. I think that organizations are realizing that cell phones make it easy to support causes. If the Fair Trade Finder App lets you know that Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream contains milk and cream (without synthetic hormones) from family farmers, then you just might pick that flavor. Then again, it's chocolate. Enough said.