The Midcounties Co-operative in Shropshire is encouraging shoppers to put Fairtrade in their food shop and educating local children during this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight (26th February – 11th March).
The Midcounties Co-operative Food, which operates 13 stores in Shropshire, is a longstanding supporter of the Fairtrade Foundation and will be raising awareness during the Fortnight with a range of in-store activities.
This will include transforming some supermarkets into Fairtrade classrooms for local children and store managers visiting schools to educate the next generation about the importance of ethical food practices and show them how they can make a difference to the lives of farmers.
Children will also get one of their five-a-day with a free, ethically-sourced banana on Free Fruit Fridays and enjoy a range of fun-filled activities, including in-store Fairtrade hunts, colouring competitions, crosswords, quizzes and word search.
Throughout the Fortnight, shoppers will enjoy a special 15% discount off Fairtrade wine and Easter eggs, as well as in-store cake sales to raise funds for local charities. Four lucky members will win a Fairtrade hamper worth £100 in a ‘Swipe and Win’ competition.
Visitors to the Bicton Heath store on 27th February will hear from a guest speaker from the Foundation and find out exactly how buying Fairtrade coffee, bananas and chocolate can benefit the lives of the producers behind them.
Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual event that supports underpaid farmers and food producers in developing countries and inspires people to change the way they think about the food in their weekly shop.
Clive Bosell, store manager at The Midcounties Co-operative Food in Bicton Heath, said: “It’s important for us to support the Fairtrade initiative and play our part in changing the way that people think about the food on their table and where it’s come from.
“By hosting educational sessions with local schools, we hope to inspire the next generation to ensure that producers in developing countries are receiving a fair wage for the products we love.
“We are one of the biggest supporters of Fairtrade Fortnight and with a huge range of sustainably-sourced products for our shoppers to enjoy, we hope we can encourage more people to put Fairtrade in their food.”
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