For Obama, Honest Tea is the Best Policy

by Zarah Patriana · 2009-01-08 11:04:00 UTC
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My earlier post reminded me of something I found out recently. I was at the beauty parlor (who goes to beauty parlors? I do) and was browsing the latest People Magazine (who reads People Magazine? I do) and read an interesting little tidbit about President-elect Barack Obama. No, nothing about ill-fitting jeans or tucked in polo shirts, but rather about a drink he can't go on without -- Honest Tea.

It really caught my eye because I drink Honest Tea too (He's Just Like Us!) and I know that they are a company that carries products with the Fair Trade Certified label on them. I checked the internets when I got home to cross check People Magazine's facts and lo-and-behold the Washington Post tells me that Barack Obama quenches his thirst with Honest Tea.

Back in 2004, Honest Tea was the first bottled tea manufacturer to market a Fair Trade Certified product. Now years later, the President-elect is hooked on it.  If Mr. Obama is already supporting a company that carries Fair Trade certified products, could it be a hint of more ethical consumption to come -- perhaps a small step toward declaring the White House a Fair Trade Zone?  It has already been pointed out that Equal Exchange was served at Obama's church and that Obama has had coffee from the Just Coffee co-op served at previous campaigns in Chicago.

I know it may sound a bit far reaching (fair reaching?), but if the Fair Trade community comes together to encourage Barack Obama to endorse more Fair Trade products, not for the sake of endorsement, but because of the true belief and support for fair labor practices and environmental protection, it will send a strong message for a need for reform in trade policy.  We as Fair Trade consumers vote with our dollars all the time and the simple act and commitment to serve Fair Trade products in the White House could lead to a vote for a more sustainable trading system.

[photo: reuters pictures]

Zarah Patriana
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