Fair Trade
Essential Living Foods started as an importer of unique organic foods, and from the beginning we’ve built our business on paying fair prices to our farming partners. We do our best to go directly to the source whenever possible, bypassing middleman so we can deliver the best value to our customers AND pay premium prices to the growers. There are a few different certifying organizations out there putting a third party seal on these fair trade practices. We are working with all of them to get these seals in place, but even while that is in process, you can rest assured that your purchases from Essential Living Foods is supporting farmers through equitable trade practices!
TransFair USAWe are proud that our Brazil Nuts, which we’ve been purchasing for years from the pristine Peruvian Amazon rainforest, were the first brazil nuts in the US to receive permission to use the internationally recognized fair trade logo from TransFair USA. TransFair USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is one of twenty members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), and the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. We audit transactions between US companies offering Fair Trade Certified™ products and the international suppliers from whom they source, in order to guarantee that the farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods were paid a fair, above-market price. In addition, annual inspections conducted by FLO ensure that strict socioeconomic development criteria are being met using increased Fair Trade revenues. |
IMO Fair for LifeDue to their flexibility and ability to work with a variety of producer business models, unique agricultural products, and very transparent scoring system, we are working with IMO on several of our projects to get their 3rd party certification that what we’ve already been doing really is fair and equitable for all parties and protects the planet as well! "Fair for life" is a brand neutral third party certification program for social accountability and fair trade in agricultural, manufacturing and trading operations. The new program complements existing fair trade certification systems. Social accountability and fair trade have become important indicators to select business partners in a global market place. Existing systems unfortunately exclude many agricultural, manufacturing and trading operations worldwide that practice social responsibility and Fair Trade from independent verification and certification of their performance. The IMO Social & Fair Trade Certification Program offers operators of socially responsible projects a solution for objective inspection and certification by a highly qualified external verifier. It combines strict social and fair trade standards with adaptability to local conditions. The system is designed for both food and non food commodities (cosmetics, textiles etc.). |
Rainforest AllianceThe Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumerbehavior. |
