Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates. This week, Ben & Jerry’s gives out free ice cream cones, CNN addresses child labor in the cocoa industry, and that’s just for starters:

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Graphic Credit: www.benjerry.com

BEN & JERRY’S FREE ICE CREAM CONE DAY
Today is the day. Tuesday, April 12, 2011 from Noon-8pm it’s free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cones for everyone! As their way of thanking customers for their support and to celebrate 33 years of scooping  deliciousness, Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops are giving away free ice cream cones.

Why am I mentioning this in our weekly Fair Trade Roundup? Because of Ben & Jerry’s growing commitment to Fair Trade, which you can learn more about here.

Graphic Credit: http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

CNN’S FREEDOM PROJECT INTERVIEW WITH THE DARK SIDE OF CHOCOLATE FILM MAKER

CNN’s Freedom Project posted an interview with U. Roberto Romano about The Dark Side of Chocolate which you can watch here. This riveting documentary goes undercover to reveal the bitter truth about child slavery in the cocoa industry. To host your own screening, visit our website.

Graphic Credit: Partners for Just Trade

2011 ARTISAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED
Partners for Just Trade announced their 2011 artisan tour that will visit the Pacific Northwest. Sonia Anahue Uscamayta from the Munay Rumi jewelry cooperative in Lima and Yody Gladys Moran Trillo from the El Mercurio knitting cooperative in Huancavelica, Peru will be traveling to the United States to share how Fair Trade has impacted their lives. The tentative artisan tour schedule can be found here, though date changes are possible, so you might want to double check the dates before making plans.

If you’re around Berkeley on Sat. May 14th (World Fair Trade Day!), this exciting artisan tour will be at our own Fair Trade Store!

NEW CHANGE.ORG ACTION CALLS ON HERSHEY TO FAIR TRADE THEIR EGGS
Change.org just launched a new action calling on Hershey to extend Cadbury’s commitment to Fair Trade cocoa to Cadbury Crème Eggs in the US. Go here to learn more and to sign the petition.

Teakwood Platter from Global Exchange Fair Trade Store

CURRENT AND FUTURE EFFORTS TO FAIR TRADE YOUR PASSOVER:
Passover is almost here. You can find Passover Fair Trade Ideas here. Already looking to next year, Fair Trade Judaica is launching a new initiative called Next Year – Fair Trade Kosher for Passover Chocolate to encourage Kosher manufacturers to source Fair Trade cocoa beans for Passover products.

(To purchase the beautiful teakwood piece pictured visit our Online Fair Trade Store.)

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Article: Sustainability of West African cocoa growing questioned
Article: A ‘divine’ fair trade policy for chocolate
LinkedIn Group Discussion: Is Criticism of Fair Trade Justified?
Events: World Fair Trade Day Event Listings (find events or post your own)
Resource: Easter and Passover Fair Trade Ideas

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Check back here on our Fair Trade blog for more Fair Trade News Round-Ups…your one-stop shop for current Fair Trade news and events. And if you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me!

For Tuesday’s Fair Trade round-up, the lovely Tex highlighted Ben & Jerry’s appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon where they introduced a new ice cream flavored packed with Fair Trade ingredients.

When I first saw the clip last week, I was among friends that work within the Fair Trade movement and we were just floored. Like, jaw-dropped, pointing at the screen and exclaiming, “Is this for real?” type of floored. If you haven’t seen the clip yet, I highly advise taking the time to watch it now and see what I am talking about. It was like seeing a really good friend on television.

Because for those in the movement who have been working hard throughout the years to promote and educate people about Fair Trade, this four minute segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon just increased the visibility and knowledge of Fair Trade to a whole new (and bigger) audience.

Every flash of the shirt with the Fair Trade Certified logo, and every time ‘Fair Trade’ was mentioned, was a huge opportunity, in a way, to open up the concept of Fair Trade into people’s homes and into their minds.

Not only was it great that Jimmy Fallon worked with Ben & Jerry to create the new (and delicious sounding) ice cream flavor, Late Night Snack, but Fallon is further putting his support behind advocating for Fair Trade by donating the profits of the ice cream to Fair Trade Universities, an initiative helping students increase awareness and availability of FT products on campuses around the country.

Jimmy Fallon. How are we not friends? We have so much in common: We both love Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to the point where a song can be sung about it. We both love The Roots (Jimmy Fallon’s house band). We love Top Chef. And now, we’re both Fair Trade advocates. Let’s be friends.

On that note, I encourage everyone to visit a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop to find Late Night Snack, with Fair Trade vanilla ice cream, caramel and Fair Trade fudge covered potato chips. Already given an A grade by SlashFood. So delicious, that Stephen Colbert is already declaring an ice cream war.

However, it is only once Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream is converted to Fair Trade Certified ingredients will it be able to compete. He’s in luck though, because Ben & Jerry’s has already made the commitment to make the full FT switch by 2013. Good news for Chubby Hubbies, Chunky Monkeys and Fair Trade producers around the world.

And because we (I) can’t get enough…