In ever-so-progressive Berkeley, yet another hot political debate is simmering. This one over coffee, no less.

And, if it's up to Rick Young, Berkeley voters will take their cup of brew fair-trade, organic and shade-grown.

Young, an environmentally and socially conscious lawyer on a mission to have all brewed coffee sold in Berkeley be politically correct, is sponsoring a November ballot measure that would make it the nation's only city to restrict the sale of coffee to those standards.

``If it's a question of giving up a few coffee choices in order to protect the environment and cut down on the exploitation of workers, that's a trade-off I'm willing to make,'' said Young, who wrote the initiative and collected the 3,000 signatures to put Measure O on the city's Nov. 5 ballot. ``People should be responsible for their purchases.''

Young and other proponents point to the plight of the small coffee farmers -- most in developing countries, from Ethiopia to Nicaragua, who use the more traditional growing methods. Many are in poverty and on the verge of losing their land, proponents of the measure argue, while big agribusiness is clear-cutting rain forests, planting directly under the sun and applying chemicals to the crop.

``It's a social and economic disaster in the coffee industry,'' Young said, adding that at most it would cost the consumer a few more pennies a cup. ``It just seems to me if there's a product that causes a lot of problems we should be using the alternative.''

Stringent standards

Under the proposal, all coffee sold would be fair-trade certified, meaning that an importer must meet stringent environmental international standards.

Small farmers included in the International Fair Trade Register are guaranteed a minimum ``fair-trade price'' of $1.26 a pound and credit against future sales, according to the Oakland-based TransFair USA, the country's only certification organization.

Their label certifies that the farmers belong to democratically run cooperatives that have direct market access instead of being forced to sell through middlemen at prices that do not even cover their production costs, said Kenya Lewis, a spokeswoman for TransFair.

The proposal also would require that all coffee be organic or shade-grown. Organic coffee is grown without pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, many of which are banned in this country. Shade-grown or bird-friendly coffee is grown on traditional coffee plantations under the canopy of forest trees, home to more than 150 species of migratory birds.

Any business vendor who violates the ordinance would be guilty of a misdemeanor, fined $100 or face up to six months in jail or both.

Opposing arguments

The proposal has some coffee drinkers and business owners a little steamed.

``I'm all for promoting fair trade and organic coffee, but passing a law that makes it illegal doesn't make any sense,'' said Peter Conn, owner of the Art of Baking, which sells a wide range of coffee including organic and fair-trade.

Opponents point out that many coffee shops already offer organic, fair-trade and shade-grown coffee. They argue that the ordinance would deny consumers freedom of choice, increase the cost of coffee and punish those farmers and workers who cannot afford to become officially certified.

``It's stupid. It's absurd. People are trying to exercise too much political control over everything. I should have the right to buy whatever I want to drink,'' said David Snipper, 66, a longtime Berkeley resident, as he drank coffee at a University Avenue cafe.

Speaking on behalf of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, board Chairman John DeClercq said the measure would adversely affect about 350 establishments.

``It's an improper restriction on business. It is anti-Berkeley, anti-free choice,'' DeClercq said. ``If coffee can be restricted, do we have politically correct chocolate, beef, vegetables? There's just no end to it.''

Yin Yin Vu, co-owner of A Cuppa Tea in Berkeley, demurred on whether she supported the measure, but said that her shop sells only organic and fair-trade coffee because it's what customers have requested. ``It's also good for the environment,'' she said.

Sarah Tesch, a Berkeley resident, doesn't always buy fair trade or organic coffee but believes she would be more inclined to do so if she saw more around. ``I'm all for it as long it doesn't hurt small businesses,'' said Tesch, 26.

At a Berkeley rally this week to promote Measure O, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta compared it to the plight of the farmers during the grape boycott, and called the proposal a ``watershed.'' ``Let's give these coffee growers a decent way of life,'' she said.

Fair-trade coffee has long been embraced by environmentalists from Global Exchange -- which led a campaign that pressured Starbucks to sell fair-trade certified coffee -- to Rep. Fortney ``Pete'' Stark, D-Fremont, who introduced a House resolution last summer urging the federal government to limit coffee purchases to fair trade.

About 70 percent of the world's coffee is grown by small farmers, and statistics indicate that 80 percent of the U.S. population drinks coffee.

``Coffee is one of the best examples of how consumers can really have an effect throughout the world with the purchases they make in their daily lives,'' Lewis said. Of the $18 billion industry, about 1 percent of the coffee sold in the United States is fair-trade certified, she said.

The National Coffee Association, however, has denounced the measure, calling it bad policy that ultimately would result in a decrease in consumption, and reduce revenue for coffee farmers, roasters and retailers.

Copyright 2002 Knight Ridder

###