Fair Trade Chocolate: A More Humane Sweetness
By Leela Mascia, Class of 2027
An icy wind blows, sending snow flurries flying into your face and trailing a frigid finger down your spine. The deep chill of winter is upon us, and everyone knows ‘tis the season for curling up in front of a roaring fire and slurping up mugs of frothy hot chocolate with marshmallows. The question is… do you know where that chocolate comes from?
The unfortunate truth is that many well-known and revered chocolate companies, including Hershey’s, Nestle, and Mars, use cheap child labor to harvest the cocoa used in so many of their confections.
According to an investigation by the Washington Post, representatives from some of the world’s biggest brands could not promise their products were made without child labor. Part of the reason is because the chocolate companies cannot identify all of the farms where their cocoa is harvested from, much less whether child labor is used.
Despite admitting accountability and pledging to eradicate “the worst forms of child labor” from their West African sources in 2001, many of these companies have missed several deadlines to eradicate child labor. Despite promises to improve each time, reports continue to show the rise of child labor in West African cocoa production. According to a Labor Department survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, child labor in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the two primary suppliers of cocoa, increased from 31 to 45 percent between 2008 and 2019. Nearly 1.6 million children were involved, many of them in hazardous tasks such as wielding machetes, carrying heavy loads, or working with pesticides. These children, many of them under the age of 15, are often kidnapped or trafficked. They work long hours, do not attend school, and are paid little to no money.
So, what can you do to help? Avoid buying from major companies whose products may have been made with child labor. Instead, choose equally delicious fair trade chocolate. Below are lists of which brands to avoid and which brands are fair trade. Keep in mind that there are some companies that claim their chocolate is fair trade, but are owned by one of the ‘Big 5’ chocolate corporations (Hershey’s, Mars, Kraft, Nestle, and Ferrero). It’s best to try to buy from independent companies with transparent sourcing practices.
It is also important to speak out, both on social media and by word of mouth. Put pressure on major companies to change their practices. Encourage people to buy from fair trade certified brands. This is especially important around the holidays, when chocolate consumption is high.
Around 58 million pounds of candy were purchased this Valentine’s Day. Much of these confections being chocolate, and much not fair trade chocolate. However, you can make a difference, with both words and actions. Together, we can work to eradicate the evils of slavery and child labor.
These companies may use child labor to produce their chocolate.
Hershey’s
Mars (M&M, Snickers, Dove, etc.)
Mondelez (part of Kraft) (Cadbury, Toblerone, Oreos)
Nestle
Lindt
Godiva
Ghirardelli
Ferrero
Olam
Cargill
Barry Callebaut
These companies are fair trade certified brands. Make an effort to buy from them instead!
Tony’s Chocolonely*
Ben and Jerry’s*
Aloha Feels
Newman’s Own Organics
The Endangered Species Chocolate
Dagoba Organic Chocolate
Green & Blacks
Larabar
Alter Eco*
Divine Chocolate
Equal Exchange
Shaman
Theo Chocolate*
Guittard
Raaka Chocolate
Unreal Chocolate
Chocolove*
Hu
*Leela’s favorites
For a complete list of fair trade chocolate companies, please visit https://www.slavefreechocolate.org/ethical-chocolate-companies
Unsure if your favorite chocolate brand is ethical? Check out Green America’s scorecard here:
https://www.greenamerica.org/end-child-labor-cocoa/chocolate-scorecard
About Author
