Fair Trade products make a more just world 
(republishing, copying, no restrictions)
By: Father Shay Cullen
Not long ago I was with a group of happy cheerful Filipinos spraying mango trees to ward off deadly fruit fly, pests and bugs. There was not a single chemical pesticide used which we all know can enter the food chain and cause cancers, skin rashes, mental and physical fatigue and other diseases. The sprays we promote are made from hot pepper, garlic, onions and the like. They are natural, safe and very effective.
Imagine a swarm of fruit flies getting a dose of crushed hot pepper and garlic spray? They quickly buzz off sickened by the very smell of these repellents. I am sick at the very thought of the damage and dangers to children and adults caused by toxic pesticides and food additives that can cause cancer.
Besides alerting the public to the dangers of chemical pesticides the development workers at the Preda Fair Trade center, in Olongapo City are replacing them with natural alternatives. Let "nature balance nature" is our slogan. Repellents do not kill any of the insects like toxic pesticides do.
Things can change if we all buy Fair-trade products. March is fair-trade month around the world so ask your grocer or supermarket if the product is fairly traded and if it is free of toxic chemicals. By buying Fair Trade products you help reduce poverty in the developing world and give people the chance to sustain themselves and their families with dignity and pride. A Fair Traded product like dried mangos and pineapple contributes to village development projects improving sanitation and clean water supply. Supporting this movement is what helps build a more just and fair world and helps eliminate child labour and the exploitation of children and women.
The Fair Trade projects of Preda Foundation, a charity where I work, supports projects for abused children and provides safe and healthy dried fruit in World shops and super markets in Europe and Japan. That's how we want all food to be -pesticide and chemical free.
But not so the more than 359 food products listed on the Foods Standards Agency (FSA) of Britain. What a shock to learn that the food dye Sudan 1 used in hundreds of ordinary prepared foods and instant meals are potential sources of cancer.
In fact more than 400 products have been ordered off the shelves of every store or prosecution could follow. Schools and hospitals are also advised to throw out any of the identified dangerous products. If that is happening in a very safety and health conscious country like Britain what about the other nations in Asia, like the Philippines and Hong Kong where these products are imported daily. Can we be sure that these same industrial food dyes are not used in our food? We can presume for safety sake that Sudan 1 food dye is used in most and the products in our own supermarkets.
It may be much to late for the general public who has been ingesting these chemicals for dozens of years believing themselves safe. The power of advertising has led the public to trust the corporate food brand. What a devastating blow this is to the credibility of the food companies. The food industry has a lot to answer for and it must eliminate Sudan 1 from its food processing.
When the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic was discovered, the culpability of the animal feed companies was beyond question yet few of any were held responsible. They still get away with it. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (Seac) has spent five years asking food companies how much "mechanically recovered meat" (MRM) was used in the past, since this was mostly served in school meals. They think this type of meat carries the most risk. The United States is violating all four concrete recommendations laid down by the World Health Organisation to prevent the spread of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), or Mad Cow disease, into the human population according to researchers monitoring the meat industry. The only people who are really safe are those who buy only foods proven to be 100% natural and chemical free. (E-mail: preda@info.com.ph Web: www.preda.org) (End)
