PEOPLE in Bolton and Horwich will have a chance to do some tasting in the first fortnight of March.

Two weeks have been designated as national 'Fairtrade Fortnight', and people in the Bolton area who are at the forefront of the fight for justice for the world's poor will be very much 'in on the act'.

Free tastings of tea, coffee, and chocolate will take place at Justicia, Knowsley Street, Bolton, Thursday, March 11, from 5pm to 8pm and Horwich Oxfam Shop, Lee Lane, Horwich, March 13, 10am to noon.

They will be part of the fifth anniversary celebrations of the Fairtrade Mark - two interlinked letter F's, black on white - which are appearing on more and more goods to show that people who produced them are getting a fair return for their labours.

It is the only independent consumer label which guarantees Third World growers get a fairer deal.

Bolton Oxfam and the World Development Group have already approached some of the larger supermarkets, and asked them to join in by displaying leaflets and information about Fair Trade goods.

Oxfam's Chris Hodgkinson said the response has been positive and enthusiastic.

One of the aims of the fortnight is to encourage people to buy the goods, and to keep asking for itmes which are not stocked.

Bolton already has a range of Fairtrade products on sale at various outlets and was one of the first in Britain to market Cafe Direct - the first fairtrade coffee.

And the Bolton groups say it is public demand that has got the goods onto the shelves, with tea and coffee served in churches as well as in thousands of homes.

Sales of Fairtrade products grow by an average of 65pc every year and the value of Fairtrade products at the checkout has increased from £2.75m in 1994 to more than £14m in 1996.

Themark was developed so that shoppers can tell at a glance which goods have given a fair return to the producer.

In the conventional market, the price of commodities such as cocoa and coffee fluctuate dramatically, frequently dropping below the cost of producing them.

This has had a catastrophic effect on the lives of millions of small farmers, forcing many into crippling debt and others to lose their land.

The Mark guarantees that produce is bought directly from small farmers at a price that covers the cost of production, and a basic living wage.

Christina Peck, a Mayan cocoa farmer in Belize, said: "From the money we now get, our children can go to secondary school, and we have been able to put a concrete floor in our house."

For more information, call Chris Hodgkinson 699618, or Julia Powell on 0171 405 5942.

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