Many people equate Rainbow with organic. While it's true that not everything we carry is organic, we try to focus on organic and sustainably grown produce and products. In the 1990s, Rainbow was active in helping consumers get comments to the USDA about the proposed National Organic Program, which for a while looked as though it was going to allow Biotechnology, irradiation, and biosolids into the standards. When over 200,000 people submitted complaints to the USDA about their proposed standards, they drastically revised their plan- a victory for us!
Rainbow is a member of the CCOF and is a certified SF Green Business. We continue to keep an eye on organic standards and are fighting to preserve and strengthen them. Read our History of Organic Standards to find out more about where organic standards have been and where they're going.
On May 23rd, 2000, the Membership of Rainbow Grocery passed the following policy:
"Rainbow Grocery Cooperative opposes the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. We will ban these foods from any private label product we carry, and support efforts to label and/or ban such foods until a time when they can be proved safe for consumption and the environment."
Fair Trade encompasses a range of goods, from agricultural products from the global South like coffee, chocolate, tea, and bananas, to handcrafts like clothing, household items, and decorative arts. Fair Trade involves the following principles:
Fair Trade products can be identified by the "Fair Trade Certified" label or the Fair Trade Federation logo on a product. The "Fair Trade Certified" system involves non-profit organizations in 17 different countries, all affiliated with Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International. In the USA, TransFair USA places the "Fair Trade Certified" label on coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas and other fruits. This label is product-specific, meaning that its presence on one product doesn't mean that all of the companies products are Fair Trade. The Fair Trade Federation is an association of businesses that follow fair trade principles across the board, so its presence on a product DOES mean that a company supports the highest level of commitment to fair trade -100%.
The Fair Trade system benefits over 800,000 farmers organized into cooperatives and unions in 48 countries. Fair Trade has helped farmers provide for their families' basic needs and invest in community development. However, these farmers are still selling most of their crop outside of the Fair Trade system because not enough companies are buying at Fair Trade prices. Help increase the demand for Fair Trade among companies, retailers, and consumers! Learn how you can get involved and make a real difference for small-scale producers!
Taken from the web page of the international human rights organization, Global Exchange. Please visit their site for more information on Fair Trade issues.
Take a look at our Fair Trade Products List.
