IV 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 349

Encouraging the consumption of Fair Trade Certified coffee. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 25, 2003

Mr. STARK (for himself, Ms. LEE, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. 

FARR, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 

BROWN of Ohio, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. SABO, 

Mr. FILNER, and Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform, 

and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

RESOLUTION

Encouraging the consumption of Fair Trade Certified coffee.

Whereas in the context of the global economy, consumer 

choices and institutional purchases affect communities 

and the environment throughout the world; 

Whereas since 1997 the price of coffee has declined nearly 70 

percent on the world market and has recently reached its 

lowest level in a century; 

Whereas the collapse of coffee prices has resulted in a widespread humanitarian crisis for 25 million coffee growers 

in more than 50 developing countries where coffee is a 
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critical source of rural employment and foreign exchange 

earnings; 

Whereas coffee accounts for approximately 80 percent of export revenues for Burundi, 54 percent of export revenues 

for Ethiopia, 34 percent of export revenues for Uganda, 

31 percent of export revenues for Rwanda, 30 percent of 

export revenues for Nicaragua, 26 percent of export revenues for El Salvador, and 25 percent of export revenues 

for Honduras; 

Whereas according to the International Coffee Organization, 

coffee producing countries are now only earning $5.5 billion in revenue from a $70 billion global coffee industry, 

while in 1989, coffee producing countries earned $12 billion in revenue from a $30 billion global coffee industry; 

Whereas the International Coffee Organization reports that 

in Guatemala, the coffee harvest labor force has been cut 

in half to 250,000, while in Columbia the coffee harvest 

labor force has decreased by 200,000 jobs; 

Whereas the World Bank reports that 600,000 permanent 

and temporary coffee workers in Central America have 

been left unemployed in the last two years; 

Whereas the World Food Program estimates that low international coffee prices have created 150,000 refugees, 

hundreds of whom have died while thousands have illegally immigrated to the United States in search of work; 

Whereas small-scale coffee farmers who receive local market 

prices for their harvests cannot meet their costs of production and are therefore forced into a cycle of poverty, 

unemployment, debt, and migration; 

Whereas The Washington Post, The New York Times, and 

The Wall Street Journal report that coffee farmers are 
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switching to cultivating illegal crops, such as coca and 

opium poppy, because these crops are more profitable in 

light of low international coffee prices in traditional coffee-growing countries; 

Whereas the Office of National Drug Control Policy reports 

that illegal drug usage has cost the United States over 

$160 billion dollars; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certification is a solution that ensures 

a minimum price per pound of coffee of $1.26 for producers and grants them access to credit; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certification requires the implementation of sustainable environmental management plans and 

encourages the cultivation of organic and shade grown 

coffee, which eliminates the use of harmful chemicals and 

preserves the critical biodiversity and habitat for migratory birds and other animals; 

Whereas coffee is a cash crop and the income earned through 

the sale of Fair Trade Certified coffee enables coffee 

farmers and their cooperatives to invest in community development programs, such as health care and education, 

and in environmentally sound technologies that save 

water, protect soils, and conserve biodiversity; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certification enables small-scale farmers 

to support their families and invest in their farms and 

communities, thereby maintaining economic and social 

stability in rural areas and increasing overall foreign exchange earnings for their countries; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee markets provide a critical economic alternative for more than 675,000 coffee 

farmers and their families in 23 countries around the 

world who are able to bypass exploitative middlemen and 
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sell their coffee directly to markets in North America and 

Europe; 

Whereas the Fair Trade Certified coffee market is growing 

at a rapid rate of more than 50 percent a year, and more 

than 160 companies, including Starbucks, Dunkin’ 

Donuts, Seattle’s Best, Green Mountain, and Sara Lee, 

now offer Fair Trade Certified coffee; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee is now served in dining 

halls, cafes, and at catered events on more than 200 college campuses nationwide, including Harvard University, 

the University of California at Berkeley, the University 

of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Michigan, 

Duke University, Oklahoma State University, Georgetown 

University, and the University of Iowa; 

Whereas there is an independent market for Fair Trade Certified coffee, but the overall supply of Fair Trade Certified coffee far exceeds current market demand by at 

least 130 million pounds; 

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development supports several Fair Trade farmer cooperatives in 

developing countries; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee is already served in several locations in the House of Representatives and the 

Senate, in all dining and cafe ́ venues in the World Bank, 

and in many European government agencies, including 

the European Parliament, the British House of Commons, the British Departments of Trade and Industry 

and International Development, and in the Foreign and 

Commonwealth Offices; 

Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee is of a comparable price 

and taste to other high-quality coffees and has been rec-
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ognized as such by independent, internationally respected 

coffee tasting experts; and 

Whereas support for Fair Trade Certified coffee furthers 

United States foreign policy goals by stemming the wave 

of illegal immigrants from coffee-growing regions, providing critical economic alternatives to the planting of illegal crops, and helping to promote economic and social 

stability and community development in rural areas: 

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) the legislative and executive branches of the 

4 Federal government have a responsibility to set a 

5 high standard of ethics with regard to their eco6 nomic activities, and should therefore ensure that 

7 the goods and services they purchase and use are 

8 produced in the fairest manner possible; 

9 (2) Fair Trade Certified coffee should be made 

10 available at all events and food service locations in 

11 the legislative and executive branches of the Federal 

12 government, including through indirect purchases by 

13 food service providers; and 

14 (3) information should be made available to the 

15 public and to State and local governments about the 

16 importance of Fair Trade Certified coffee.

Æ