A group of supporters from the different charities backing this petition paid a visit to Sainsbury’s Head Office yesterday ahead of the national Day of Action this Saturday. They posed for photos with a giant aeroplane ticket made out in Chief Executive Mike Coupe’s name, inviting him to visit Fairtrade farmers and see for himself how they’ve invested their Fairtrade Premium and how it’s changed their lives. Unfortunately I couldn’t join them, but they handed in a letter to Mike Coupe at reception on my behalf which invites him to meet with me so I can voice my concerns, shared by you and over 100,000 others who’ve signed this petition, in person. I’ll let you know how he responds. I welcomed Mr Coupe taking the time to explain his decision, but I still can’t understand his rationale. Sainsbury’s ‘Fairly Traded’ scheme cannot offer the same independent reassurance that farmers and workers are treated fairly as the Fairtrade Mark does, it just takes advantage of the public trust that Fairtrade has built over the past 20 years as the largest and most widely recognised ethical label. Most importantly, it fails to do the one thing that we know truly transforms the lives of farmers and workers: give them complete control over how they invest their social premium in their communities. Sainsbury’s are still not listening to their customers’ concerns about this. That’s why this Saturday’s national Day of Action is so important. You don’t need to get a group together to take part, you can just hand in a letter to your store manager as part of your weekly shop – just don’t forget to post what you’re doing on social media with #notmycupoftea! You can download everything you need at http://www.dontditchfairtrade.com and if you’ve got a question you can email CAFOD who are leading the campaign coalition behind the day of action at campaigns@cafod.org.uk Let’s show Sainsbury’s they can’t ignore us for much longer! Barbara Photo: CAFOD, Traidcraft Exchange, Tearfund, Global Citizen, Global Justice Now and Fairtrade supporters outside Sainsbury’s Head Office in Holborn, London (c) Thomas Flint/ CAFOD