Coffee with a cause

Consumer Reports: Greener Choices, Products for a Better Planet. A look at the gamut of coffee labels, and how to distinguish between them.

f you’re a coffee drinker looking for a little added “feel good” value in your cup, you shouldn’t have to look too far. Today, companies large and small are selling coffee with various eco-labels claiming to address social and environmental challenges within the industry. By choosing coffees with the most credible eco-labels, you’ll help to ensure your purchase will make a difference.

WHY IT MATTERS

Farm earnings are low. The majority of coffee is grown by small family farmers in remote tropical regions. Because they lack market access, they often sell their harvest to middlemen for a fraction of its value, keeping them in a cycle of extreme poverty. The typical coffee worker earns hardly enough to meet basic living needs.

Growing practices are damaging eco-systems. To increase yields, new coffee varieties are being introduced that grow in full sun, which require intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers. This arrangement disrupts eco-systems and supports far less biodiversity than coffee’s native shaded habitat. For example, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center reports that studies have shown there are 94 to 97 percent fewer bird species on full-sun plantations compared to shade plantations.

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Choose coffee with meaningful eco-labels. Doing so can help make a real difference in the lives of the people who grow coffee and also benefit the environment. The following is a list of the most meaningful eco-labels you can find on coffee:

Bird Friendly

What it means:

•Coffee is grown under conditions that support healthy bird habitats.

•Coffee is grown under a tree canopy with a minimum of 40 percent shade.

•Coffee is grown organically, according to USDA organic standards.

For a list of Bird Friendly coffee companies, visit the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, a research and certification organization. To learn more about what the Bird Friendly label means, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.

A note on “Shade-Grown” claims. This has become an increasingly common claim that may not be very meaningful. Any “shade-grown” claim should be associated with clear, minimum shade-coverage requirements and independent, third-party certification. Of the two certification programs in the U.S. that currently require shade– Bird friendly and Rainforest Alliance—Bird friendly has the most rigorous requirements.

Fair Trade Certified

What it means:

•Farmers and workers are guaranteed a minimum price of $1.26 per pound ($1.41 per pound if organic), which is higher than average market rates, for their product.*

•Trade is conducted directly between farmer-owned cooperatives and buyers.

•Crops are grown using soil and water conservation measures that restrict the use of agrochemicals.

For a list of companies that carry Fair Trade coffee, visit TransFair USA, the U.S. fair trade labeling organization. To learn more about what the Fair Trade label means, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.

*Since growers receive a minimum price regardless of what you pay for a Fair Trade Certified product, you can shop around to find the lowest retail price.

Rainforest Alliance

What it means:

• Crops are grown using integrated pest management systems that limit the use of agrochemicals.

• Crops are grown using water-, soil-, and wildlife-habitat conservation measures.

• Farm laborers are paid salaries and benefits equal to or greater than the legal minimum wage of their countries.

To locate Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, visit the Rainforest Alliance, an environmental advocacy and certification organization. To learn more about what the Rainforest Alliance label means, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.

USDA Certified Organic

What it means:

•Farmers emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality.

•Crops are grown without using synthetic fertilizer or the most persistent pesticides.

•Crops are produced without genetic engineering or ionizing radiation.

•Crops are processed and handled separately from conventional coffee.

For a list of organic coffee companies, visit the Organic Consumers Association, an organic advocacy organization. Click on “organic food” and then “coffee.” To learn more about what the organic label means, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.

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