Best Buys from the Third World

Each chapter of 'The Global Consumer - Best Buys to Help the Third World' (compiled by the New Consumer organisation) has recommended choices for those consumers who wish to take into account the effect of their purchases on the developing world, such as:

- B&Q and Texas seem to have gone furthest in developing a policy on hardwood sourcing; go there for preference.

'Bananas are a good crop as they can be intercropped with food crops, have nutritional value, are labour intensive, require very little capital outlay and can be harvested all year round'

- Bananas are a good crop as they can be intercropped with food crops, have nutritional value (unlike tea leaves or cocoa pods), are labour intensive, and are suitable for smallholder production as they require very little capital outlay and can be harvested all year round. Geest and Windward Islands bananas are a good choice. Fyffes' Honduran bananas come second.
- The ideal Third World cash crop is one that can be eaten if times are hard, does not compete for land or labour with food production, can be processed locally to create jobs, is environmentally benign and fetches a good price. Cotton is one crop that comes out pretty badly measured against these criteria, while peanuts compare favourably.
- Overall, the Co-op is the supermarket to try first, on the basis of its social policies generally, and with respect to development and the Third World issues in particular.
- If you are intending to buy electronic products look first at Technics, Panasonic, JVC, Sony and Hitachi.
- Best Buy tea and coffee come from organisations like Traidcraft, Oxfam Trading and Equal Exchange.
- For oils, soaps and detergents, Best Buy products are Ecover detergents and Body Shop personal care products.
- 'The Global Consumer' by Phil Wells and Mandy Jetter, published as a Gollancz Paperback Original, L5-99, ISBN 0 575 05000 4.
- New Consumer, 52 Elswick Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6JH (tel 091 272 1148; fax 091 272 1615).

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