Happy Valentine’s Day! This day of love is super popular at HealthBarn USA because it’s all about chocolate!  The dark stuff takes some getting used to, but it’s worth the effort because it’s high in antioxidants which protect our immune system.

Besides the health of our own bodies, we want to promote the health of  communities around the world by raising awareness about fair trade chocolate and other products.  Here’s a good start to getting informed about fair trade when you are making purchase decisions:

• What is Fair Trade? A system of trade promoting a more equitable global trade, especially to sellers and producers in poorer areas, but also to the environment.
• 

  Look for this logo on your favorite food items!

  Fair Trade Certified: A product certification system designed to allow people to identify products that meet agreed environmental, labor and developmental standards. Overseen by a standard-setting body, FLO International, and a certification body, FLO-CERT, the system involves independent auditing of producers to ensure the agreed standards are met.

• Fair Trade Products: Cocoa, coffee and a growing range of products, including bananas, honey, oranges, shortbread, cotton, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, nuts and oil seeds, quinoa, rice, spices, sugar, tea and wine.
• Be informed. Learn more from the Fair Trade Resource Network and sign-up for the newsletter to get active for change.  Check out Fair Trade USA, too!

Go for high quality chocolate this Valentine’s Day and throughout the year to make you feel good and help others and the environment, too!

Sending love to you and your family for Valentine’s Day…

– Stacey Antine, MS RD, author, Appetite for Life and founder, HealthBarn USA