Posted by Glenn Fadner on 10/17/2010

Did you know that trafficked children a used to harvest much of the cacao crop that ends up in your favorite candy bar? Over 70% of the world's chocolate originates on the cacao plantations of West Africa where an estimated 15000 child slaves are used in the harvest. If that seems hard to believe, check out http://www.thedarksideofchocolate.org/.

We saw a screening of this documentary at the Global Forum on Human Trafficking this past week and I'll NEVER be able to look at a chocolate bar the same way again.

The GOOD news is that YOU - each of us - can do something about it. And it's really not all that hard!

DON'T stop buying chocolate! Simply change your buying habits. Look for Fair Trade certified chocolate. Ask your grocery store for Equal Exchange or Divine chocolate. If they don't carry it, ask them to. If they won't, politely tell them that you'll buy your chocolate from a store that will. Most likely any local health food store has it. (It's really yummy, too!)
Write to a chocolate manufacturer to ask them to source only Fair Trade certified cacao and politely tell them that you're choosing to take your business elsewhere until they do. ESPECIALLY write to Hershey's. Both the Hershey's corporation and the Hershey's Foundation have refused to even make a statement regarding Fair Trade chocolate, which is even more of a shame when the Foundation began as an effort to meet the needs of orphaned boys.
Encourage your friends to get informed as well.

Remember, when the effort to abolish slavery in England first began, few people felt it was wrong. Yet with time and peaceful persuasion, the tide changed and slavery was outlawed throughout the British Empire.

YOU can make a difference!