Ecologists Debate Merits of Rain-Forest Products FROM FRUIT TO NUTS

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DOES "Rain Forest Crunch" really help the rain forest?

Some researchers have their doubts. Nuts, fruits, and oils from Earth's tropical forests are featured in such popular items as Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Body Shop bath beads, and the Rain Forest Crunch candy made by Community Products, a Vermont-based company.

The goal is to create markets for goods that don't damage fragile forest environments and will give tribal peoples who live in the forests some much-needed cash. And that goal has been realized, according to David Mayberry-Lewis, founder of Cultural Survival, a Boston-area organization that pioneered the idea.

The rain-forest products sold to food …