CITY MULLS FAIR-TRADE MONIKER: HEALDSBURG COUNCIL FAVORS DESIGNATION PROMOTING DECENT WAGES, CONDITIONS

Healdsburg could become the first "Fair Trade Town" in Sonoma County, part of an effort to promote fair labor practices and decent work environments in the production of imported food and goods.

Healdsburg City Council members this week expressed unanimous support for a resolution in support of the designation, which is intended to promote fair wages and safe and healthy working conditions.

The idea is to make consumers more aware of the products they buy, avoid supply chains that rely on child labor and human trafficking, and guarantee "fair wages" to farmers and artisans.

"I love the mission, the positive education," Councilman Jim Wood told the fair-trade activists who made a presentation to the City Council.

"You encourage people to think about what they're purchasing -- how it was made, how it was grown," he said.

To be designated a Fair Trade Town, a community must have one business per 5,000 residents that carries at least two fair-trade items.

The goods typically are certified by a fair-trade federation and might include commodities such as coffee, tea, cocoa and bananas, as well as jewelry and apparel.

Healdsburg more than meets the minimum requirements, since 10 stores in town currently sell two or more fair-trade products.

Among those are Safeway, Big John's Market, Shelton's Natural Foods Market, Copperfield's Books and some smaller coffee shops and stores.

The most high-profile store, One World Fair Trade, which faces the Healdsburg Plaza, sells nothing but fair-trade items.

"We have thousands of products from 38 different countries," said the owner, Ray Ballestero. He sells crafts, jewelry, home decor and apparel and is a main proponent for putting Healdsburg on the fair-trade map.

Ballestero said the wholesalers who provide him with merchandise are members of fair-trade organizations that have protocols that ensure an item is produced equitably.

He said wages paid the foreign workers generally are four times the minimum wage in the country of origin. That means fair-trade goods are likely to be more expensive. A pound of fair-trade coffee for instance, might cost $14, versus $12 for non-certified.

Some critics have dismissed fair trade as essentially a marketing ploy that benefits retailers more than Third World farmers and workers.

But advocates like Ballestero argue that buying such products helps alleviate poverty, along with achieving other goals, including environmental sustainability, access to education and health care.

"We can make a decision with our dollars whether it's important to support that cause," he said.

He added that the Fair Trade Town designation will not mean that merchants in Healdsburg need go through a membership process like he's done to certify their entire store is fair trade.

"Anybody can carry a fair-trade product if they choose to," he said. "We want to provide a platform for awareness."

The movement gained momentum in Europe. To date in the United States, there are 21 cities designated Fair Trade Towns. A dozen are in the process, including Calistoga, according to a report prepared by Healdsburg officials.

Healdsburg would be the fourth Fair Trade Town in California.

"It's a very worthwhile endeavor," said City Councilman Gary Plass, who like his colleagues decided to wait at least until the next council meeting in September to act on the fair-trade-practices resolution.

"I'd like to make sure there are no lingering questions by some of our retailers," he said.