UTM's Fair Trade Week serving up free treats for trivia

For those on campus next week, UTM has a deal so fair, it’s free.

To celebrate International Fair Trade Week, Oct. 25-29, the Hospitality and Retail Services team will be chatting about fair trade initiatives and handing out treats made with some of the Fairtrade Canada-certified ingredients used on campus, including Doi Chaang coffee, Numi & Teaja tea, Camino sugar and Alter Eco, Endangered Species, Me to We, Camino and Green & Black's chocolate.

“We want to remind (students) what fair trade is about and what it does for people,” says Hospitality and Retail Services director Vicky Jezierski. 

UTM was the first Canadian campus to earn a Silver rating from the national non-profit organization Fairtrade Canada, in 2019, after earning Bronze in 2016. It was also named a Fairtrade Trailblazer in 2020 to recognize its efforts in ensuring not only environmental sustainability, but fair and decent working conditions, treatment and wages for the farmers and supply chain as well.  

“We try during Fair Trade week to bring an awareness to the programs we have, to bring to light why we do this,” says Jezierski. “The Doi Chaang coffee that we sell in our food court is from Thailand, so when you buy that, you are supporting workers and farmers in remote Thailand.” 

The campus uses Fairtrade-certified coffee, tea, sugar and cinnamon at all non-branded food stations, including the THEOS machines. It also offers fair trade chocolate bar options in vending machines.

Jezierski and her team have learned patience is key when making a commitment to fair trade: During the quest for Silver certification, UTM was willing to meet the requirement of selling only Fairtrade-certified fruit, but couldn’t find any to buy.

“At that time, there were no suppliers carrying fair trade bananas, because there wasn’t a ripening station in Ontario,” Jezierski says. “Now there is, so the availability is more mainstream … so we can do that.”

The quest to expand UTM’s fair trade offerings is ongoing, she says. The campus has set a goal of earning a Gold designation from Fairtrade Canada in 2024-25.

“To move to Gold will involve not just food services, but other departments switching to include fair trade products in their uses — things like the gym using Fairtrade soccer balls,” she says, noting they’ve also added language to the bookstore’s contract to encourage Fairtrade-certified purchases. “We’re looking for ways to incorporate all the other Fairtrade products available in Canada, like cotton and flour. We are focusing on the things we can do.”

The Fair Trade Week campaign will include free treats on themed days for those who can answer questions about the campus’ Fairtrade offerings:

• Coffee Day (Tuesday Oct. 26): Free small coffee and small piece of coffee cake with sour cream drizzle in Davis Food Court
• Tea Day (Wednesday Oct. 27): Free medium tea (any flavour) and small piece of cinnamon raisin scone in Davis Food Court 
• Chocolate Day (Thursday Oct. 28): Free small hot chocolate and chocolate cookie in front of Oscar Cafe
• Banana Day (Friday Oct. 29): (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.) Free banana smoothie sample (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), banana (1 to 3 p.m.) and banana bread sample in Colman Commons

All giveaways run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., while supplies last, unless otherwise stated.

For more on where to find Fairtrade-certified brands on campus, visit https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/hospitality/where-find-fair-trade-utm.