That alternative sounds great, I just couldn't trust it without third-party audits. If Fairtrade International transitions to being plainly an auditing company

That alternative sounds great, I just couldn't trust it without third-party audits. If Fairtrade International transitions to being plainly an auditing company rather than a facilitator, that's fine, as long as a standard is maintained and verified, and the mark continues to mean tangible human rights improvements. I get this is hard to do at scale, but it comes down to whatever is the least worst option. There's a similar issue with free range eggs. At enough scale it becomes harder to verify that indeed the chickens are being kept in humane conditions. But at least for domestic production there can be some legal ramifications depending on the governments advertising/trade laws, and it's much easier for whistleblowers and activists to counter attempts at deception.