Child Labor: The Truth About Chocolate is Not so Sweet

The United States is the world's largest chocolate consumer, eating more than thirteen billion dollars worth of chocolate each year. Unfortunately, while large companies enjoy the massive profits, cacao farmers in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast, where forty percent of the entire world’s cocoa is produced, unjustly make a mere five percent of those profits. According to a fact sheet from TransFairUSA, the income for a small cocoa farm in the Ivory Coast ranges from a meager thirty to one hundred-and-ten dollars a year. These farmers are so poor that they have no choice but to resort to using child labor and in some cases, child slavery. An article from Democracy Now reports that “these child workers labor for long, punishing hours, using dangerous tools and facing frequent exposure to dangerous pesticides as they travel great distances in the grueling heat. Those who labor as slaves must also suffer frequent beatings and other cruel treatment.” This week I decided to join the discussion in two other blogs in hope of bringing more attention to this very important issue. My comments can be found here at Boycott Nestlé and here at Blogher.

Boycott Nestlé
Nestlé is the largest chocolate corporation in the world with over sixty-five billion dollars in annual sales. For this very reason it is absolutely deplorable that they do not currently engage in the Fair Trade of cocoa. I definitely agree with your statement: “for several years Nestlé has been claiming that social certification of its cocoa production is impossible. Yet, social certification exists for cocoa: it's called Fair Trade. Why can't Nestlé make a commitment to convert to Fair Trade?” They must be held accountable for their human rights violations and be pressured to convert to Fair Trade. This would guarantee a modest minimum price per pound of cocoa, an amount that Nestlé could definitely afford to pay, thus providing a fair pay to small farmers and an end to the practice of child labor and child slavery. Currently, as The International Labor Organization states, about a quarter of a million children between the ages of nine and twelve are working in these farms. For now, until Nestle takes responsibility for its cocoa supply chain I will only buy chocolate that has been Fair Trade Certified™

Blogher
Thank you for bringing some much needed attention to this little known issue. Unfortunately, M&Ms/Mars Inc. is not the only corporation buying from contractors that utilize child labor and child slavery at their cocoa farms on the Ivory Coast. Hershey’s and Nestlé are also engaged in this practice. It is unacceptable that these multi-billion dollar corporations do not currently take part in Fair Trade. The cocoa farmers are only making an average of about seventy dollars, annually! How are they supposed to survive this way? This is the reason why the children of the Ivory Coast are forced to spend their entire childhoods picking cocoa. I do not think that boycotting these corporations is too harsh. I am afraid that it may be the only way to get their attention. By buying products that are not Fair Trade certified we are supporting the exploitation of thousands and thousands of poor farmers and children. If consumers increase their demand for Fair Trade chocolate, the corporations will have no choice but to change their practices.