Ethical Chocolate
Ethical Chocolate!
When shopping for chocolate do you ever stop to consider where and how it’s grown?
There are a couple of areas that need to be considered when you are shopping for your chocolate fix.
They include:
Pesticides – has your chocolate been grown using pesticides and other toxins?
Palm Oil – does your chocolate contain ethically sourced Palm Oil?
Child Labour – Does the brand of chocolate you are buying use Child Labour to pick their crops?
Fairtrade – is your brand of Chocolate part of the fairtrade agreement?
Let’s start with fair trade!
Buying a brand that has a fairtrade emblem means that the profits of your product are being fed back to the growers and their families, not big business.
You can read more about this in the fair trade website, but generally it encourages small farmers to work together and gain control over how much they get paid for their crops. In a study conducted by Fairtrade in 202, found that Fairtrade cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire have increased their incomes by 85% over the past several years and that a greater proportion are living above extreme poverty levels. I mean how wonderful is that, and just by choosing which brand of chocolate you buy, you are contributing to this increase.
Child Labour
Fairtrade cannot use child labour to produce their crops. Previous to this and even now some of your major supermarket brands of chocolate participate in child labour. These children, mostly under 14, are involved in dangerous work, including spraying pesticides, using machetes and carrying heavy loads. They have no access to education or health care. Physical abuse is also common.
Pesticides
Many of the pesticides used in cocoa production have been banned in the US, EU and here in Australia. These include Methyl Bromide, Pyrethrins, Glyphosate and Lindane.
Palm Oil
Palm Oil is in many supermarket products including chocolate. This product not only contributes to cardiovascular disease but is an environmental issue. The rainforests that are destroyed in order to plant and grow these trees has been detrimental to many species especially the Orangutan.
What Can You Do?
Look for products with the certified Fairtrade symbol. [Fairtrade ANZ]
See how major chocolate companies compare. [Be Slavery Free]
Find Fairtrade, UTZ or Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate. [Chocolate Scorecard]
Choose Organic Chocolate
Choose sustainably sourced Palm Oil products or better still Palm Oil free.
So before you go out and buy your Easter Chocolates stop and think what are you paying for! Look for some or all of the above symbols and know that you are helping. Plus your chocolate tastes much better without all the crap in it! And it is better for your health!
Choice Australia have released an guide to buying ethical chocolate, you can check it our here
References
http://www.ethical.org.au/get-informed/issues/palm-oil/
https://www.fairtrade.net/issue/child-labour
https://www.fairtrade.net/news/why-choosing-fairtrade-chocolate-makes-a-difference