Fair trade food at street stalls

Fair trade with food at street stalls

Press release from 24.03.2018

The Tourism Department and the Small Business Development Agency (SENPA) are working together to create a framework for those who sell fresh coconuts and other fruits and vegetables at street stalls to increase fairness and hygiene for the public.

24.03.2018

Seychelles.com

Author:
Karl Schnürch

Source:
Own research
Seychelles.digital

TODAY in Seychelles

Beach or roadside stalls usually sell fresh coconuts and other fruits and vegetables without displaying a price, forcing many to ask if there is a fixed price or what the fair price range is.

This is particularly problematic for tourists who are often cheated into buying a fresh coconut for as much as SCR 500, as they do not know the local prices or the value of these prices in their own currency.

Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Political Affairs, Margaret Pillay, tells TODAY that they have heard many complaints of this nature and have wanted to address it for some time.

The aim of the exercise is to ensure quality, hygiene and fair trade by the vendors. The Cabinet also approved the proposal of new activities to enable the active participation of street vendors in an organised manner.

This means that not only do they have to present their prices, but they also have to be registered under SENPA to be able to sell legally. This, says Ms Pillay, will ensure that there is a framework with the known stalls that are registered so that the Health Department and the Fair Trade Commission can work together to ensure that the regulations are followed.

But that does not mean they need a licence, Ms Pillay said.

Some stall holders at Beau Vallon beach told TODAY that it is good to have a frame, but displaying prices could be a disadvantage for them in the long run because prices fluctuate - not only during the week, but sometimes even during the day.

"Some fresh fruits cost more depending on how colourful and fresh they are, but some products we sell can go bad throughout the day because they are in the heat without proper storage, so they obviously cost less than other items that don't spoil as quickly," a vendor told TODAY. "If we have to set a fixed price, people who come won't understand and expect to buy a really fresh, juicy fruit for the same price as the less fresh one."

How the Health Authority and the Fair Trade Commission will enforce these changes is yet to be determined, announced at the Cabinet press conference last Thursday.

Author: Karl Schnürch

In 2007 I started the website Seychelles.com to write everything I experienced from my head. Since then I have been constantly optimizing and expanding Seychelles.com to eventually present a complete picture of Seychelles on this site.