The products including coffee,
bananas and chocolate from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms will be sold at Whole
Foods Market stores throughout the United States and Canada starting
today.
The Company will also offer a
variety of other products, including tea, cocoa, mangoes, rice, sugar and
vanilla, that meet program requirements.
"The vision of the Whole
Trade Guarantee complements the work The
Rainforest Alliance has been doing for 20 years to promote the three pillars
of sustainability “environmental, social and economic“ in agricultural
production," said Tensie Whelan, executive director of The
Rainforest Alliance.
"We are trying to change
not only the way goods are produced but also the choices businesses make and the
way consumers shop."
The Whole Trade program will
increase the availability of responsibly produced goods and empower consumers
who want to support sustainable agricultural practices through the choices they
make every day in the supermarket.
"With our shoppers'
growing concern about ethical and responsible trade, and with our Company's
increasing scale and scope, the time is right for Whole Foods Market to help
make more of an impact," said Whole Foods Market's co-founder and CEO John
Mackey.
"We look forward to
working with the Rainforest Alliance and our other certifying partners to
support the global community by bringing products from developing areas to the
marketplace in a way that is a win for the producers and their families, for our
shoppers, for the environment, and for the developing world communities where we
do business."
Products with the Whole Trade
Guarantee must meet a series of criteria that cover social, environmental and
economic considerations.
Farmers are required to use
sound environmental practices including water and soil conservation techniques
and will receive a premium price for their products.
Workers earn better wages and
have dignified working conditions.
Whole Foods Market hopes that
within 10 years more than half of all the products it imports from developing
countries will meet the program criteria.
The
Rainforest Alliance works hand-in-hand with land owners and businesses in
the agricultural, forestry and tourism sectors to make sure their practices are
environmentally and socially responsible.
We have certified more than
10,000 farms in 14 countries on nearly 600,000 acres (240,861 hectares) of
land.
Rainforest Alliance Certified
farms meet a comprehensive set of standards, including worker protection, access
to medical care, education for children of farm workers, ecosystem conservation,
agrochemical reduction and wildlife protection.
By working with farms and
companies of all sizes, the Rainforest Alliance aims to mainstream
sustainability and transform business globally.
The
Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable
livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer
behavior.
Whole
Foods Market is the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket
and America's first national certified organic grocer and currently has more
than 190 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The company's core values are
to sell the highest quality natural and organic products available, satisfy and
delight shoppers, support Team Member excellence and happiness, create wealth
through profits and growth, and care about its communities and the
environment.
