The referendum, submitted by Haley White ’12, stated that “the USG will make a formal recommendation to UDS [University Dining Services]” to serve Fair Trade bananas, which cost 25 cents more per banana than the ones the University currently purchases. The referendum passed with 67 percent of the vote.
Fair Trade certification guarantees the fair labor practices, corporate transparency and sustainability efforts of the suppliers. Companies earning the designation must meet third-party standards throughout the entire production process, though the standards are concomitant with higher product prices.
“University Dining Services isn’t ready to change bananas yet,” said White, who has been working with Orefice on this issue since last spring.
“Our next steps include working with Haley to gather more data, specifically the feedback from faculty and staff,” Orefice explained in an e-mail. “The passing of the referendum is valuable and gauges primarily student interests.”
Orefice said he believes Dining Services must seek a “broader view” than that proposed by the USG recommendation when considering policy changes, because places such as Frist Campus Center serve the “entire campus community,” not just undergraduates. The referendum only proposes changes at retail locations, which White said were “non-dining halls” and “a la carte” dining establishments.
There is a “good chance” a decision will be made about the bananas during the spring semester, Orefice added.
White has spearheaded efforts to get Fair Trade produce on campus since her Fall Breakout trip in 2008. Her visit to Florida to learn about the tomato industry inspired her to investigate campus produce.
“I realized, ‘You know what? I’m a consumer,’ ” White explained, noting that “consumers have market power.”
“I was curious to know how Princeton got its produce,” she added. “I could not get a list of suppliers, so I used the stickers on the fruit in the bowls in the dining halls.”
White’s research indicated that some of the bananas offered in the dining hall came from Chiquita Brands International, which pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal charges of doing business with a terrorist organization. A company spokesman told The Daily Princetonian in April that it was forced to hire members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia to protect the lives of its employees.
The USG referendum noted the extra cost of Fair Trade produce, but White said she thinks the cause is worth the extra cost. “People pay more for products when they have desirable characteristics,” she explained. “Why only spend more to benefit yourself? Why not spend on behalf of someone else’s human rights?”
White added that elements of the banana industry are “horrific,” with some companies supporting terrorism and murders.
“In part, I’m doing this because I care about bananas,” she said. “However, I’m also doing this because I think that it is important for people to engage in a discussion about the role that ethics play in a free market economy.”
White noted that many of her friends offered their support as she worked to collect the 200 needed signatures to get the referendum on the ballot. She also said she’s “thrilled” that it passed, especially since “we weren’t able to campaign much the week of the referendum because of injuries.”
Though White said she and other organizers may table at Frist to educate and survey faculty members, she said she does not yet have plans to pursue change for other campus foods or for the dining halls.
“We haven’t planned for that yet,” White explained. “Instead we’re focusing on what we’ve got going on right now.”
Correction appended:
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that all dining hall bananas were purchased from Chiquita. In fact, Chiquita is one of several produce suppliers for the University.
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