The Coffee Fix

Posted on | August 12, 2008 | 1 Comment

How is coffee affecting your life?Is coffee part of your daily routine? If it is, you are like millions of Americans, who start their day with a cup – or two or three – of coffee. But even if it’s part of your daily routine, it makes sense to stop and ask a few questions. How much do you know about your morning pick-me-up? Do you ever think about where it comes from or how it’s affecting your body?

The coffee shrub was introduced from Africa to the Americas in the 1700s. Today, coffee is cultivated by some 25 million farmers and coffee workers in more than 50 countries. Worldwide annual coffee consumption is more than 12 billion pounds.

Coffee gets into our cups and mugs through a global commodity chain involving many people. Approximately 27 million acres are devoted to coffee worldwide, with the largest producers and exporters being Brazil, Colombia, and Indonesia.

Most small farmers sell their coffee directly to middlemen exporters who pay them below market price for their harvests and keep a high percentage for themselves. This forces these farmers into a cycle of poverty that keeps working conditions poor, wages low, and often involves child labor. Coffee workers are usually paid the equivalent to sweatshop wages and they toil under harsh conditions.

With all of this in mind, we’re left with two major questions about coffee. One, is it good or bad for your health? And two, what about the health and well-being of the coffee farmers and workers around the world?

On question one, you might be shocked to find out that coffee is full of antioxidants that dampen inflammation and are believed to be positive and preventive when it comes to chronic diseases. Studies by major journals have confirmed that coffee is a major contributor of antioxidants in the diet of Americans.

But there’s the caffeine to consider. Once it’s ingested, it’s rapidly absorbed into the blood stream in 30 to 45 minutes, and takes 4 to 6 hours for most of it to be eliminated. At low to moderate doses it increases well being, happiness, energy, alertness, and sociability – but at higher doses it can cause adverse health effects.

Back to the question of coffee farmers and workers: The Fair Trade coffee movement is a partnership between consumers and coffee growers to ensure that the growers receive a fair price for their coffee in order to make a living wage. If a farmer gets Fair Trade Certification, he can sell his coffee as a member of the Fair Trade Register and earn much more than selling in the traditional manner. If you buy Fair Trade coffee, you’re bound to drink a little easier knowing that you’ve helped those farmers get the funding and healthier lives they deserve.

As always, I’m interested in your feelings about this topic. Please leave a comment!

Comments

One Response to “The Coffee Fix”

narzedzia pozycjonerskie
May 7th, 2013 @ 3:22 pm

You have noted very interesting points ! ps decent internet site . “Loneliness seems to have become the great American disease.” by John Corry.