General Shaw Clifton has said that the quest for social justice “is in the DNA of The Salvation Army.”

But as the bad news continues unabated from many parts of the world, and in countries where fellow Salvationists are sharing the pain and suffering, we might be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the rampant extent of social injustice. Yes, we can respond to the now-frequent appeals for money for relief and aid operations, but it’s impersonal at best and seemingly futile at worst.

It isn’t made any better when we look at the labels on the clothing we wear. Regardless of the brand, the garment is almost invariably manufactured in a so-called Third-World country. The labour was compensated only pennies for making it and the working conditions were likely far below what would be tolerated in Canada. Such things as paid vacation, sick leave, maternity leave and a retirement plan are not part of the employer’s business model. Yet who can afford to have clothing made-to-measure locally, because that would appear to be the only alternative.

There are instances where we do have a choice. For example, for a few extra pennies, we can buy food products certified to have been produced in a system that gives the producer a fair return for her or his labour. One of the fastest growing of these is food stamped with the Fair Trade logo. Fair Trade products are only slowly beginning to show up on Canadian food-store shelves, although they are widely available in Europe and can be found in Canadian stores specializing in imported foods. (Recently I noticed that my favourite imported British marmalade is made using Fair Trade sugar, and it’s a major “high street” brand in the United Kingdom).

Doing the Right Thing
When it comes to buying Fair Trade food products, it should be enough to say, “It’s the right thing to do,” but being right sometimes isn’t easy or enough. That’s certainly true of the litres of coffee many of us drink each month, at two dollars a cup. Lattés, cappuccinos and other fancy coffees can cost two or three times more. Coffee is the second most expensive legally traded commodity in the world after oil, yet we don’t give it a second thought.

Salvationists should be among the most sensitive of Canadians when it comes to caring about where our food is sourced. Most of the time, what we’re drinking at home or in our favourite coffee shop is being sold at many times the price paid to the grower of the coffee beans. The average cup of coffee bought at one of the coffee chains benefits the grower only a few cents―and, typically, that grower is either a poor farmer or a poorly paid labourer in an impoverished Third-World country. Much of the coffee produced by the big plantations is grown in sunlight on land that was a forest before it was clear-cut—and that’s another issue.

Fair Trade farmers, on the other hand, typically produce shade-grown coffee at higher elevations on smaller farms. This makes for better working conditions and better coffee. Simply put, Fair Trade ensures that the grower of the product receives a fair price—a price that allows a family to live above the poverty line and beyond subsistence level.

In the U.K. and Europe, Fair Trade is right up there with the other purchasing options, and consumer pressure has forced major supermarkets to offer a full range of Fair Trade products. In Canada, that situation is still some way in the future.

For instance, until recently it was very difficult to find Fair Trade coffee in the major Canadian grocery chains and, when it was available, it was usually hidden away in the health food section. (Classifying coffee as a “health food” may be the ultimate oxymoron!) After some consumer prodding, several of the grocery chains are now displaying Fair Trade coffee with other coffees, allowing consumers to make informed decisions. (Some stores also display it in the organic food section, even though not all Fair Trade coffee can be certified organic.) Organic food stores such as Whole Foods do a better job, as does the fair-trading chain Ten Thousand Villages.

Of the major coffee shop chains, Starbucks has made the most noise about engaging in a form of fair trade with its suppliers, although the chain offers only one branded Fair Trade coffee to brew at home, and you can’t buy a cup of Fair Trade coffee at Starbucks. Despite that, in a booklet called Of Coffee & Community, Starbucks claims: “We’re committed to seeing that farmers receive an equitable share of the purchase price we pay for the coffee they produce. By helping provide access to affordable credit and investing in coffee-growing community projects, we’re building the kind of long-term relationships that can ensure success both for coffee farmers and Starbucks.”

Making Informed Decisions
The whole question of fair compensation and sustainable development is now becoming a major political issue and will play a role in the forthcoming U.S. presidential election, as that country—and the rest of the world—comes to grips with the rising price of crude oil and looks for cheaper alternatives. The notion of diverting grain from food production to the production of ethanol seems to elevate perversion to a new level. In fact, a new definition of sin might be “Growing corn to feed SUVs.” Ask poor Mexicans what this practice has already done to the price of flour for tortillas, their food staple.

The diversion of crops from food to fuel is only one element in the alarming increase in the cost of food presently troubling politicians, economists and aid organizations around the world. North America’s increased consumption of red meat is also putting world food supplies at risk. Consider that it takes 3,682 litres of water and up to 10 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of finished beef.

This is where the frustration and a sense of helplessness sets in for the individual consumer. What to do? The best we can hope to do is inform ourselves and make decisions guided by our consciences and our ability to absorb the higher costs, which are involved in doing the right thing.

Social justice isn’t an abstract concept; it is possible to make informed decisions according to our conscience and faith. It is also wholly consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are responsible for each other. In our globalized world we cannot ignore the impact of our choices on people who live on the other side of the planet.

As for that coffee served before or after the Sunday morning meeting, despite the extra effort and cost involved, using Fair Trade coffee is the right thing to do. Why not make a start this week? It has to start somewhere, and serving Fair Trade coffee and other food products provides a direct benefit to the farmer who grew it and the labourer who picked it.

Try it. That cup of coffee will taste a whole lot better.