It's nearly that time of year again-the time of year when scary costumes and eerie decorations cover supermarket aisles and stores. What's really scary, though, is the difference between the work of conventional and fair trade companies in creating your favorite Halloween items. The Federation challenges you to make this holiday more than just about children getting their apportioned lot of candy. Here are some ways to do it:

• Reverse Trick or Treating - FTF member Global Exchange has created a unique program to spread the word about fair trade in your community. Children go door-to-door distributing informational cards with a piece of fair trade chocolate (donated by FTF members Equal Exchange and Alter-Eco, among others) to as many households as possible. The informational cards give a brief description on the injustices in the West African cocoa industry, of which one of the main problems is forced child labor. Last year, this event put fair trade into nearly 45,000 households. This year, help Global Exchange meet the goal of informing 200,000 households about how their purchases can make a difference in the lives of children in West Africa.

• Buy a Costume from Fair Trade Companies - Dress yourself or your child in an adorable costume from fair trade vendors. Whether they want to be a frog, a pirate, a butterfly or something else, there are great options for everyone
  

          o Surjomukhi Handicrafts
          o Ramona Enterprises
          o Asia2You

• Give Trick or Treaters Fair Trade Chocolate - Whether trick or treating in reverse or the usual way, you can stay have a fair trade Halloween. Instead of giving out average candy, give delicious fair trade chocolate to trick or treaters coming to your door. The following companies supply fair trade chocolate:

          o Alter-Eco
          o Yachana Jungle Chocolate
          o Equal Exchange
          o SERRV International

• Decorate - Turn Halloween into an opportunity to support and spread the word about fair trade.Decorate your home with great, spooky Halloween items from Fair Trade organizations, including
  

          o One World Projects' Halloween Gourd Boxes
          o SERRV International Candy Dishes

You can make a difference this Halloween!