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Article

15 Aug 2006

Author:
Hal Weitzman, Financial Times

Coffee with a conscientious kick

...Carlos Mario Roman...has sown coffee in the glade of a natural wood. He has also planted numerous fruit trees on his 20-hectare farm...Mr Roman's story is typical of the 8,500 farmers in Cocla, a local agricultural co-operative and Peru's top organic coffee producer. He says he has improved his working practices to meet the guidelines for Rainforest Alliance, a coffee certification system...As consumers in the developed world become more interested in food origins and production conditions, certification systems hold out the promise of allowing retailers to source reasonably priced products – from timber and cotton to chocolate and bananas – that guarantee social and environmental standards in the poor countries in which they are produced...Rainforest Alliance pulled off a coup in 2003 by signing up Kraft [part of Altria], the world's second-biggest food company...this year [Kraft] is on track to buy more than 20m pounds [of certified coffee]. [also refers to Ahold, Marks and Spencer, McDonald's]