Fair Trade USA and Chobani have launched a certification program for US dairy farms and cooperatives that provides financial premiums to dairy farmers and workers and is expected to raise sustainability standards. 

The program follows Fair Trade USA’s partnership with Chobani, which announced its Milk Matters initiative in 2019 to further its commitment to support economic, environmental, and social standards throughout the company’s milk supply chain.

Now, the new fair trade certification program is available to milk producers throughout the US. 

Chobani’s certified yogurt
Chobani is releasing Fair Trade Certified Greek yogurt versions for all of its 32-ounce, multi-serve tubs, including Whole Milk Plain, Low Fat Plain, Non-Fat Plain, Strawberry Blended and Vanilla Blended. 

Chobani’s Fair Trade Certified yogurt products are sold nationally at all major grocery and retail stores and are produced at Chobani’s Twin Falls, Idaho, and South Edmeston, New York, production facilities. 

Chobani says it plans to expand the certification to other products.  

Fair Trade Certification provides farm owners and cooperatives with an opportunity to differentiate, increase engagement with consumers, and receive a financial premium for their investments. 

Fairness and good working conditions
Certification also provides greater support for farmworkers in an industry that can face challenges in workforce availability, working hours and farm safety.

An immigrant workforce, which makes up an estimated half of the US dairy workforce and is especially vulnerable to these issues because of limited legal protections, will also benefit from Fair Trade USA’s new dairy program. 

In collaboration with experts and organizations already working in the space, Fair Trade USA plans to develop an environmental component to this program that will address the unique challenges of the dairy industry.

“I come from a farming family, and I worked at a dairy farm in Upstate New York, so I know firsthand the magic of the dairy industry, but it’s hard work and farm families face many challenges in today’s marketplace,” says Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani. 

“Fair Trade USA’s certification –the first ever in the US dairy industry – will help our dairy farmers build on their hard work to raise farming standards, take care of their workers, ensure the well-being of their animals and their land, while giving consumers greater peace of mind that the dairy they buy demonstrates a commitment to positive economic, environmental and social pillars.” 

All of Chobanis 32-ounce, multi-serve containers of Greek Yogurt will now be Fair Trade Certified and available in all major grocery and retail stores.“Fair trade is often associated with commodities like coffee, cocoa and textiles produced in the Global South, and not as known within agricultural and farming operations here in America,” adds Paul Rice, CEO, Fair Trade USA. 

“We believe in bringing the benefits of fair trade to as many in the industry as possible to create impact.”

“Today, that opportunity is in the US dairy sector. The rigorous, time-tested standards, certification systems, and training programs we’ve developed to protect and empower producers, workers and their communities around the globe will now deliver value to the US dairy producers and workers. We are thrilled to partner with ethically-minded companies like Chobani to bring certified products to the market, so consumers have more conscious dairy options.” 

Fair trade seal in supermarkets
Since 1998, Fair Trade producers in more than 45 countries have earned more than US$465 million in Community Development Funds, which they have used to address their communities’ greatest needs, including enhanced safety, environmental protection, education, health care and clean water. 

The Fair Trade Certified seal spans more than 30 product categories and can be found in nearly every aisle of the grocery store.

As part of Chobani’s Milk Matters initiative, Fair Trade USA initiated a pilot program with dairy farms and cooperatives in New York and Idaho to determine how the organization’s Agricultural Production Standard (APS) – used for certification of a wide range of crop and farm settings around the world – could be applied to the dairy industry. 

The result – a version of the APS modified for the dairy industry – is now being offered to all dairy farms and cooperatives throughout the US.  

Fair Trade USA’s APS incorporates standards and processes developed by the globally recognized International Labor Organization (ILO). Fair Trade USA is also a member of ISEAL, the international organization driving the advancement of collaborative and transparent sustainability solutions.  

The fair trade certification process involves a series of modules that incorporate systems, operations, implementation, and auditing of Fair Trade USA’s APS that are designed to ensure product traceability, supply chain transparency and implementation of an Internal Management System to monitor compliance and progress. 

The standard also serves as a foundation to ensure safe work conditions, freedom of association, protection against harassment and discrimination, provision of benefits, clear terms of employment and payslips, reasonable working hours, safe and sanitary housing conditions, and increased access to on-the-job training. 

What is the process?
The certification process typically takes six to nine months to complete, and, when certified, milk buyers are authorized to promote their products using the widely-recognized Fair Trade Certified seal. 

When Fair Trade Certified milk is purchased, buyers pay an extra amount – the Fair Trade Premium – which is allocated to a Community Development Fund. 

The funds support democratically selected projects and on-farm investments that enhance the working environment. A portion of the funds is also available to support investments required to come into compliance with the Fair Trade Standard and projects to deliver on the goals and intentions of the Fair Trade program. 

“Through this program, dairy farmers and dairy farm employees will have access to new resources that can be used to collaborate on impactful initiatives in their businesses and their communities,” adds David Darr, senior vice president and chief strategy and sustainability officer, Dairy Farmers of America.