Fairtrade Fortnight Scots told to get cooking
27 February 2008
Oxfam activist and chef, Colin McQueen, is setting a cooking challenge to people in Scotland. Colin wants as many people as possible to take up a Fairtrade cooking challenge and use Fairtrade products during Fairtrade Fortnight.
As the demand for Fairtrade produce grows year on year so do the number of Fairtrade goods available increase. By adding even a few Fairtrade items to their shopping basket shoppers will be helping people in developing countries to get a fair price for the goods they produce. The number of items marked Fairtrade has grown year on year as the demand for Fairtrade items rises.
Colin says that Fairtrade is of interest to a lot of people in Scotland, "I think people around Scotland support Fairtrade and are looking for ways to incorporate it into their cooking. Now with more ingredients available people can look beyond Fairtrade basics like coffee and tea and add other items when they are cooking at home. There are lots of good Fairtrade recipes and by using the ingredients people in other parts of the world are benefitting"
Colin is rising to his own challenge. Visitors to the drop-in centre where he works will be treated to food with as many Fairtrade ingredients as possible. As well as providing Fairtrade meals, Colin will also be holding cooking lessons for the people who come in to the centre in order to highlight Fairtrade, food nutrition and cultural awareness.
Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from 25th February to 9th March, takes on greater significance as Scotland works towards becoming one of the first Fairtrade nations.
Eilidh Whiteford, Campaigns Manager for Oxfam Scotland said, "Between now and the end of Fairtrade Fortnight on the 9th March it would be wonderful if as many people as possible got involved in supporting Fairtrade. In order to overcome poverty people in developing countries need the chance to earn a decent living; that means getting a fair price for the goods they produce.
" Scotland has already set itself the challenge of becoming a Fairtrade nation and we can all pay a part in making that happen. If we want to achieve the goal of becoming one of the first trade nations in the world one of the first ways we can do that is to support Fairtrade producers and buy Fairtrade goods. "
