Do not buy chocolate this year for Halloween. Yep, I told you what to do. Over the years after learning about how child slaves harvest the cocoa used in the production of the chocolate we consume, I had hoped people would see the connection with the chocolate they eat and the horrible brutality many children endure. I thought people would be convicted and change their consuming habits and eventually they would not want to eat someone else’s tragedy. But generally speaking – nothing has changed. A few people have changed – but overall – the general public still gladly purchases and consumes chocolate tainted by child slaves. Miki Mistreat the producer of the documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate and Shady Chocolate was quoted in a recent article, “Consumers have not been critical enough; they have not asked why a chocolate bar only costs $1 when the cocoa comes from Africa. Customers have been too easy to trick with smart ads.” Bad news for the largest chocolate companies
Are we allowing chocolate companies to trick us or are we we simply apathetic? Are our lives too busy to be inconvenienced to change our consuming habits? The chocolate companies will not change unless we, the consumers, do. They know there is a large problem with child slavery in the supply chain of chocolate production, but like their consumers, they have not changed. In 2001 they all acknowledged child slavery in harvesting of cocoa used to make their chocolate. They all acknowledge their complicency in the problem. And they all vowed to make changes. The official document of this acknowledgment and vow was called the Harkin-Engel Protocol or the Coco Protocol. Cocoa Protocol
15 years later – nothing has changed. Why should they? We, consumers of chocolate, especially in the U.S., don’t care. We are still buying and buying and buying whatever chocolate in whatever cute sizes fit for whatever holiday comes our way in bulk. Come on people – we must use our consumer power for good and quit funding the enslavement of children.
Don’t Be Tricked this Halloween. Refuse To Do Nothing.
For more information on where to find slave free chocolate click here Slave Free Chocolate
To learn more about how to use your purchasing power for good by picking up a copy of my book here Refuse To Do Nothing