When I told you about the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act last Friday, I thought I was doing a good thing. Spreading the word about free chocolate, what could be wrong with that? But a reader left me a comment that included this link to a story about how companies like Mars and Nestle use child labor on their cocoa farms. I was very disturbed by this article and since I believe in being a conscious consumer I wanted to bring it to your attention.
I admit I have heard of Fair-Trade chocolate, and it's usually the type I buy when I grab a bar at Trader Joe's, but I don't think I really knew exactly what it meant. I just had a vague idea that it meant the workers received a fair wage.
I certainly don't want to be subsidizing child labor, so I'm going to look into this before next Friday's giveaway and let you know what I find out.
May 24, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
YES! If chocolate is not specifically marked fair trade, then it was probably produced with child and/or slave labor. Don't support them!
I knew about fair trade coffee, but had never heard of fair trade chocolate before. I usually buy chocolate in bulk at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Market, but I don't ever remeber seeing that term on any of the labels. I am interested in what you find out on this topic!
-Alea
Post a Comment