Soul Economy

While many of us are now aware of “Blood Diamonds”, thanks to the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, what most of Australia and, indeed the world, do not realise is that  “Blood Chocolate” also exists as a tragic and violent reality for a significant number of very poor people in West Africa?  Easter is fast approaching and you will want to buy lots of choccies for friends and family. However, before you do, let me enlighten you on the sad realities behind modern day chocolate manufacturing and what you as One person can do to make a whole world of difference to another human being living on the other side of the world.

The West African nation of Cote d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast) is the leading supplier of cocoa, the main ingredient for chocolate – accounting for more than 40% of global production. However, while the taste of chocolate may be sweet, there is a bitter background to the cocoa trade. To reduce cocoa production costs, children are forced to work on the cocoa farms. They are exploited – working long hours, are beaten, cruelly treated, exposed to dangerous pesticides, malnourished and are not able to attend school. In fact, “the US Department of State estimates that more than 109,000 children working in Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa work under ‘the worst forms of child labor,’ and that some 10,000 are victims of human trafficking or enslavement (http://www.laborrights.org/labor-rights/labor-rights-in-the-classroom). The cocoa industry is lucrative for this region but where are the profits going? The Ivory Coast ranks 166 of 177 in the UNDP Human Development Index in 2007 with a life expectancy of just 47.4 years and almost 50% of the population live on $2 or less a day. London-based NGO, Global Witness, document how profits from the cocoa production are contributing to funding armed conflict.

Check out the interview with Carol Off, author of “Bitter Chocolate: Investigating The Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet” at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2008/2291016.htm

So, what is being done about this tragic situation? Is the $70 Billion chocolate industry taking any action?

The Harkin-Engel Protocol was signed in September 2001 by international members of the chocolate industry with one of the objectives to develop and implement voluntary standards to certify cocoa produced without the “worst forms of child labor” by July 2005. Following an extension of the Protocol by 3 years, the standards have yet to be implemented. Check out the video on progress, “Bubbles of Nothing” below.

In Australia, World Vision called on the Australian chocolate industry to commit to a plan of action to stop child labour and trafficking in cocoa production by 1 December 2008.  In response, the Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia, on behalf of Australia and New Zealand chocolate manufacturers, issued an open letter stating that they are committed to “eradicating harmful child labour and exploitation in cocoa farming communities”, but the letter fell well short of the challenges and recommendations World Vision put to them – see http://www.donttradelives.com.au/dtl/Issues/NothingNew/Default.aspx While it is good to see that Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate will be Fairtrade certified by mid 2009, this is only in Britain and Ireland.

So what can We Do?

1) Buy Fair Trade Chocolate. Fairtrade guarantees farmers a minimum price so that they can support their families, it prohibits abusive child labour and forced labour and promotes environmental sustainability. Check out the list of Fairtrade Certified Chocolate and stockists in Australia. You can buy Fairtrade chocolate all year round.

And for Easter, you can also buy Fairtrade Easter Eggs by Chocolatier Australia from David Jones, selected Woolworths and Safeway stores, a range of specialty stores, in their stores and online. Oxfam are selling Easter Hampers in store or online. For those of you in Melbourne, Heritage Fine Chocolates, and The Trading Circle also have fair trade Easter eggs available in store.

Be sure to seek out the Fairtrade label on your chocolate as this means that the product meets international Fairtrade standards which are set by the international certification body, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO).

2) Call upon chocolate manufacturers to buy only Fairtrade cocoa
3) Ask your supermarket, department stores and other local retailers to stock Fairtrade chocolate

As Fair Trade chocolate only represents less than 1% of the world’s chocolate market (http://www.treehugger.com/), let’s work together to change this. No more Blood Chocolate – give the gift of Fair Trade chocolate this Easter.

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