# Want Some Child Slavery with Your Chocolate?



## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Remember those efforts to get the chocolate companies to get rid of child slavery in the cocoa trade? They aren't working.

Quote:

"We have cajoled, negotiated, held meetings and conducted endless
conversations with the various stakeholders," Harkin said. "But the time for
talk has passed. Children are suffering. The industry must make clear when
and if it intends to live up to its commitments."
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...0879646.htm?1c

You can also learn more here
http://www.stopchildlabor.org/intern.../chocolate.htm

Also more here:

Quote:

Producer poverty comes at the hands of large chocolate corporations, such as M&M/Mars and other members of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association of America, that manipulate the market to keep profits high while producer incomes stay low.
http://www.globalexchange.org/campai...irtrade/cocoa/

Demand accountability from M & M/MARS

Find other ways to take action here


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## Mommiska (Jan 3, 2002)

Thanks so much for posting this! We all need the reminder occasionally that the chocolate we eat has often been produced at an unacceptable price to others.









A warning - Fair Trade chocolate is significantly more expensive than non-Fair Trade chocolate, and that can put people off.

But you have got to ask yourself - *why* exactly is non-Fair Trade chocolate so much cheaper? If you are not paying the extra cost of production, someone else is.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Thanks for posting this. I was looking through the various websites I had on this issue a month or so ago, and I didn't see many updates, so I've been wondering what is going on.


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## bobica (May 31, 2004)

Does anyone have a list of fair trade chocolates? I know green and blacks has a fair trade line.

I'm a chocoholic lately & would love to have resources


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## guerrillamama (Oct 27, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bobica*
Does anyone have a list of fair trade chocolates? I know green and blacks has a fair trade line.

I'm a chocoholic lately & would love to have resources

















:


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## loomweaver (Aug 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bobica*
Does anyone have a list of fair trade chocolates? I know green and blacks has a fair trade line.

I'm a chocoholic lately & would love to have resources

















:








: (PLEASE someone say Hershey's...please for the love of God, SOMEONE say Hershey's!!)








:


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## broodymama (May 3, 2004)




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## Dreaming (Feb 8, 2004)

:
newmans???
what about godiva?? they're expensive.
i hope someone knows.

good-bye sweet m&m's with your colorful candy coating and little burst of chocolate goodness...


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## Mommiska (Jan 3, 2002)

I'm in the UK, where it's fairly easy to find Fair Trade chocolate (most supermarkets here sell at least some Fair Trade products, and chocolate is usually right up there!







).

Not sure how easy it is to find in the States, however. But here is an on-line Fair Trade shop (and the link goes direction to their 'Chocolate' section):

http://store.gxonlinestore.org/chocolate.html

If chocolate is 'Fair Trade', it will carry a 'Fair Trade' logo, and it will be more expensive than normal. Sadly, not sure Godiva IS fair trade (although it's definitely expensive enough!).

Always look for the logo telling you that it is 'fairly traded'...it it's not there, it isn't.


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## be11ydancer (Dec 2, 2003)

Here's a listing of fair trade chocolate companies:

http://www.transfairusa.org/content/...ees2.php#cocoa








No, Hershey's and Godiva aren't on the list. Neither is Newman's







: .

But Dagoba is on the list and I can tell you from experience, that's some mighty fine chocolate!







I believe it runs about $2.99 per bar at our local HFS. But when you pay more for chocolate, you tend to eat it slower and appreciate it more. We're chocoholics and when there's Dagoba in the house, we eat one little section at a time. And the flavors are intense.







You eat it differently than you would eat a Kit Kat... you don't jam the whole thing in your mouth quickly to get that "fix".


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Newman's claims that they don't use slave labor in their chocolate. Or they did in the letter they sent to radical thought dated 06 July 2001. A representative from the company said that their chocolate comes through the Organic Commodity Project in Cambridge, Mass. The chocolate is produced at Costa Rican farms which are closely monitored.

link


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Thanks! I never knew the Endangered Species brand was OR based--- gotta get some of that


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## meco (Mar 1, 2004)

WOW, I had no idea. Thanks for the information.

Learn something everyday.


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## simonee (Nov 21, 2001)

www.earthsave.org/newsletters/chocolate.htm+%2Bchocolate+%2Bslavery+%2BCallebaut &hl=en]for info on choc and slavery[/url]

this is a freeper site, along with some good info it shows you how less enlightened Americans think about other people's children working as slaves

I believe that the people who can afford to, should pay for the production. That's us.


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## OMama (Feb 18, 2005)

We buy our chocolate online at www.chocolatebar.com (these are the endangered species bars someone above referred to) or the Equal Exhange chocolate bars that you can get online or in stores. You can also get the endangered species bars in stores. We also by the Greens ones in stores. Ask for them if they don't have them. Tell the store to order them. I was in Starbucks the other day (it was a rare thing) and I was asking them about why they don't have organic, fair trade chocolate. The answer was a lame "I dunno . . . we should." Everywhere should! It all tastes soooooo much better too!

OMama


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## Lucky (Nov 14, 2004)

I agree with pp that fair trade chocolate tastes so good and everyone should sell it. (







Green Mountain hot chocolate!)

What about small chocolate companies? i.e. See's Candies, South Bend Chocolate Company, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Do their suppliers use child slaves?

It's good to have this information, to make informed purchases in the future. Very sad to read about the reality of child slavery.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *be11ydancer*
We're chocoholics and when there's Dagoba in the house, we eat one little section at a time. And the flavors are intense.









I've gotten Dagoba through my food co-op. I notice they have some interesting taste combinations--which ones do you like best? I guess I should PM you, but then I'd have to clean out my box.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Lucky*
I agree with pp that fair trade chocolate tastes so good and everyone should sell it. (







Green Mountain hot chocolate!)

What about small chocolate companies? i.e. See's Candies, South Bend Chocolate Company, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Do their suppliers use child slaves?

I think the issue is that a lot of companies don't take efforts to make sure that the cocoa they use to make their chocolate is not produced by slaves. I think there is just a lot of cocoa coming into the country from countries where slavery may be used, and a lot of chocolate companies use cocoa from one or two big suppliers. Unless the company makes sure to know the source and use special suppliers, we have to assume that there is at least some slavery in it. I know that See's does not use fair trade chocolate, or at least they didn't when I first heard of this issue.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Viola*
I think the issue is that a lot of companies don't take efforts to make sure that the cocoa they use to make their chocolate is not produced by slaves. I think there is just a lot of cocoa coming into the country from countries where slavery may be used, and a lot of chocolate companies use cocoa from one or two big suppliers. Unless the company makes sure to know the source and use special suppliers, we have to assume that there is at least some slavery in it. I know that See's does not use fair trade chocolate, or at least they didn't when I first heard of this issue.











I would think (although I've been wrong before) that any company that was using fair trade/slavery free chocolate would be advertising the fact


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## Lucky (Nov 14, 2004)

I feel like I've been so naive...enjoying See's chocolates every holiday without thinking about where it all came from.







:

No longer blind to the truth...fair trade chocolate for me and mine, from now on.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Get that bag off your head, mama- I know what you mean.

One of the "downfalls" of conscious living is you look beyond yourself and see how everything you do effects others. The other day I went to the Dollar Tree for some cheap art supplies, and I just couldn't do it.









Annette


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## rosie29 (Aug 18, 2004)

:


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosie29*







:

Is that Free Trade popcorn you're eating???


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Of course not, it's GMO popcorn. :LOL


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## Lucky (Nov 14, 2004)

It seems that concious living is not a concern for the big corporations. And that concious living is not the norm in our world today, (or maybe just the US.) So, it feels like I'm blazing a new trail when I try to live conciously, (except of course at MDC.







)

...back to the topic of fair trade chocolate...

Who makes fair trade choco chips and baking cocoa?


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## Jules411 (Nov 11, 2003)

Global Exchange has a Fair Trade shop online with several kinds of chocolate, some mentioned here, Equal Exchange, Green and Blacks and one I've had, Divine, that is good. I think the website is globalexchange.org, but I might be a little off on that.


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## terrarose (Dec 2, 2004)

I think Rapunsel Chocolate is fairtrade, anybody know?(of course it could be on the links posted but my computer is sooo slow somebody please jut tell me







: ) I know it's organic and they have chips and cocoa. I was thinking on getting some on our food order so I hope they are.


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## Red (Feb 6, 2002)

Oh, I've been so naive! I have only just started learning about fair trade. Can anyone give me a good link where I can learn more about WHICH products are more of a problem.

Rats. I love chocolate. Trader Joe's must have some....


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## grisandole (Jan 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *be11ydancer*
Here's a listing of fair trade chocolate companies:

http://www.transfairusa.org/content/...ees2.php#cocoa








No, Hershey's and Godiva aren't on the list. Neither is Newman's







: .

But Dagoba is on the list and I can tell you from experience, that's some mighty fine chocolate!







I believe it runs about $2.99 per bar at our local HFS. But when you pay more for chocolate, you tend to eat it slower and appreciate it more. We're chocoholics and when there's Dagoba in the house, we eat one little section at a time. And the flavors are intense.







You eat it differently than you would eat a Kit Kat... you don't jam the whole thing in your mouth quickly to get that "fix".

I just discovered Dagoba, OMG! I love their lavendar dark chocolate. I just odered a case from the co-op, lol. It's "only" 2.59/bar that way









That's all I'll eat, now.

Kristi


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## leomom (Aug 6, 2004)

I can't believe there are so many things I do daily without even thinking about the cost to others. Thanks for posting this.


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## Lucky (Nov 14, 2004)

I visited the Daboga website.









I drooled over the dark chocolates and placed an order for Easter.









I've been enlightened!!!


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## birthmommom (Apr 25, 2004)

I feel so nieve when i come to this board, but i am glad that i learn new things

this is great info, is carob safe?


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