[OldGuy]

There was a topic posted back in December about special chocolate brands marketed by celebrities. They sounded expensive and I expressed little interest in them.

It got me to thinking about the brands of chocolate found in our grocery stores. I was startled to find multiple articles about the chocolate industry in general and their strong ties to child labor and even slave labor. Children sold as slaves to pay off family debts is still common.

I found this statement in my search:

The International Rights Advocates, a human rights organization, is suing seven cocoa companies. These companies include Nestle, Cargill, Mars, Mondelez, Hershey, Barry Callebaut, and Olam. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eight Malian men who were trafficked and forced to harvest cocoa.

I also found this startling video about the chocolate slave labor conditions:



Seems there is good reason to boycott chocolate unless you find a producer that does not support slave labor.

Maybe take another look at the chocolate promoted in that earlier topic:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=35592

[Netherrealmer]

There is a list of chocolate companies that doesnt enslave people and farmers get earnings.

[Jem Smith]

Yep, that's why fair trade chocolate is a thing. There's a good book about the topic called Bitter Chocolate

https://goodreads.com/book/show/727586.Bitter_Chocolate

Here's a list of 12 companies with fair trade chocolate. There are more out there though. You can look for the fair trade logo on the packaging. Green and Black is a good one that's in supermarkets in Australia and the UK.
https://www.sustainably-chic.com/blog/fair-trade-chocolate-brands

[Netherrealmer]

Tony's is a known brand to be Ethical. The farmers makes money.

[Jem Smith]

Tony's is a known brand to be Ethical. The farmers makes money.

Yep, that is a good one- ethical and also very tasty. A friend gave me some for Christmas (the vegan one though).

[Fergal]

It's shocking to think that when you pay for a product such as chocolate to enjoy, that someone has suffered slavery in the process. I feel I need to start being more responsible in my purchases. What's the best way to do that, should we visit company websites to see if they have an anti-slavery statement?

[Netherrealmer]

The only problem with ethical brands is they are more expensive

[Spontaneo]

Does this include hot chocolate?

[Jem Smith]

The only problem with ethical brands is they are more expensive

Sometimes. It's gotten better since some bigger brands have gotten involved. It's been a few years since I've been involved in the industry (I used to sell chocolate) but a while back Cadbury brought in fair trade chocolate which was sold in supermarkets and not very expensive. There have been some changes since then so I'd need to read up on the latest.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38137480

There is still some relatively inexpensive fair trade chocolate around though. It's not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, and tends to be better quality.

--- 08 Feb 2025, 09:45 ---

Does this include hot chocolate?

Yes. All chocolate. It's a bummer. You can get fair trade drinking chocolate, but I don't know what's available where you are.

[Spontaneo]

The only problem with ethical brands is they are more expensive

Sometimes. It's gotten better since some bigger brands have gotten involved. It's been a few years since I've been involved in the industry (I used to sell chocolate) but a while back Cadbury brought in fair trade chocolate which was sold in supermarkets and not very expensive. There have been some changes since then so I'd need to read up on the latest.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38137480

There is still some relatively inexpensive fair trade chocolate around though. It's not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, and tends to be better quality.

--- 08 Feb 2025, 09:45 ---

Does this include hot chocolate?

Yes. All chocolate. It's a bummer. You can get fair trade drinking chocolate, but I don't know what's available where you are.

I use Swiss Miss. I have also bought Stephens. I want to buy Castle Kitchen. I need to do some research.

[ptrikha21]

If even the well known brands use Child Labor, it is very shocking.
The problem is how to know the extent and which bar comes from such labor and slavery and which doesn't.
I hope that the Governments across the world tackle this problem with a greater urgency.