Nestle Fairtrade a 'big joke' says Colombian trade unionist
Mike Brady | 05.11.2005 15:50 | Analysis | Globalisation | Social Struggles
Nestlé launched a Fairtrade coffee in the UK in October 2005 and claims that it is the latest example showing how Nestlé cares for its suppliers. A trade unionist from Colombia claims : "This is a big joke. They are lying to the people" citing the devastating impact of Nestlé's policies on dairy and coffee farmers in Colombia.
A Tribunal into Nestlé malpractice was held in Bern, Switzerland on 29 October 2005. Trade unionists from Colombia presented evidence of human rights abuses, maltreatment of workers, re-labelling of expired milk and environmental damage.
Baby Milk Action attended the Tribunal and recorded interviews with members of the union, which will be posted shortly.
A researcher for the union spoke of how Nestlé's strategies to dominate the dairy and coffee industries have forced 300,000 families off the land,
150,000 in each sector. Those who continue to produce for Nestlé have seen their incomes collapse.
Asked about Nestlé's Fairtrade product - Partners' Blend, launched in the UK last month - and the company's claim that this is the latest example of how it cares about its suppliers, the researcher said: "This is a big joke. They are lying to the people."
Nestlé's Fairtrade product is sourced from 200 farmers in El Salvador and a cooperative in Ethiopia, perhaps benefiting 3,000 farmers. Over 3 million coffee farmers are dependent on Nestlé and remain outside the Fairtrade system. While Nestlé's profits have soared - reportedly making 26% on a jar of coffee (much more than other products) - farmers are driven into poverty as Nestlé and the other big processor play them off against each other.
Find out what is really going on by listening to the interview at:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/ram/broadcasts.html#colombiafairtrade
This also links to a past interview with campaigners in Sri Lanka who report on Nestlé's destruction of the indigenous dairy industry using similar tactics to those seen in Colombia.
Baby Milk Action attended the Tribunal and recorded interviews with members of the union, which will be posted shortly.
A researcher for the union spoke of how Nestlé's strategies to dominate the dairy and coffee industries have forced 300,000 families off the land,
150,000 in each sector. Those who continue to produce for Nestlé have seen their incomes collapse.
Asked about Nestlé's Fairtrade product - Partners' Blend, launched in the UK last month - and the company's claim that this is the latest example of how it cares about its suppliers, the researcher said: "This is a big joke. They are lying to the people."
Nestlé's Fairtrade product is sourced from 200 farmers in El Salvador and a cooperative in Ethiopia, perhaps benefiting 3,000 farmers. Over 3 million coffee farmers are dependent on Nestlé and remain outside the Fairtrade system. While Nestlé's profits have soared - reportedly making 26% on a jar of coffee (much more than other products) - farmers are driven into poverty as Nestlé and the other big processor play them off against each other.
Find out what is really going on by listening to the interview at:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/ram/broadcasts.html#colombiafairtrade This also links to a past interview with campaigners in Sri Lanka who report on Nestlé's destruction of the indigenous dairy industry using similar tactics to those seen in Colombia.
Mike Brady
e-mail:
mikebrady@babymilkaction.org
Homepage:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
Nestle Fairtrade is an oxymoron
05.11.2005 17:13
Vertigogen
The fact they are selling fair trade products at all is real progress!
07.11.2005 10:40
Then it is a genuine fair trade product then! It seems the fair trade lobby have had a success here, but rather than celebrate their success, like when Mc Donalds started producing vegetarian options, they go even more on the offensive. What more do you want? Mc Donalds to turn itself into a workers co-operative producing nothing but vegan produce and Nestle to do the same?
Voice of Reason
Fine except when it used as cynical PR
07.11.2005 20:49
Nestle is already using the Fairtrade product to try to do this.
It is also approaching student unions and offering to refurbish coffee bars, serving Nescafe. When it comes up against resistance because of the boycott over its aggressive and irresponsible marketing of baby foods, it offers its Fairtrade coffee.
Such is Nestle's cynicism. For the very, very small overhead of treating perhaps 3,000 farmers decently they hope to continue with business as usual elsewhere and undermine the boycott.
Listen to what has happened to people in Colombia. Nestle policies destroy peoples lives. If you think its Fairtrade product is the start of a change, then look a little more closely at its track record and how it uses other links it forges with 'good causes'. Far more could have been achieved, I believe, if the mark had been refused until Nestle stopped actively driving down coffee prices, lobbying against the return to the coffee agreements of the past and gave a commitment to growing the Fair Trade market - its policy statement make it clear that it is opposed to Fair Trade as anything other than a niche market.
Mike Brady
e-mail:
mikebrady@babymilkaction.org
Homepage:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/