Canadians Trick-or-Treat in Reverse to Promote Fair Trade

OTTAWA , Oct. 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Thousands of Canadians will celebrate Halloween this year by distributing 25,000 Fair Trade chocolates and spreading the word about Fair Trade through the Reverse Trick-or-Treat campaign coordinated by TransFair Canada .

Reverse Trick-or-Treaters will include students, families, activists, church groups, and merchants who will participate in the Halloween campaign to encourage consumers to adopt habits that reflect their values.

Cocoa and sugar, the main ingredients in chocolate, are frequently harvested in conditions of hardship and poverty. Fair Trade seeks to change the terms of trade for the products we buy, by ensuring the farmers and artisans behind those products get a better deal. In addition to establishing better prices for producers, Fair Trade includes longer-term and more meaningful trading relationships. This gives power to producers and their communities to decide their own needs and priorities, and to plan for a better future.

TransFair Canada is a national, non-profit Fair Trade certification organization. It is one of 24 labelling initiative members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). The Fair Trade label on packages shows customers they aren't being tricked when buying their treats.

The Reverse Trick-or-Treat campaign is made possible through contributions from Cocoa Camino, World University Service Canada (WUSC), JUDES (Just Us! Development Education Society), the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC), Ten Thousand Villages, and participating chapters of Engineers Without Borders (EWB).

For further information: or to obtain contact information for local campaigns, contact: Kristina Thibodeau-Perreault, Communications, [phone] ext. 27, [email protected]