Chocolate…by Slave Labour
by A short expose on how chocolate is produced in the Ivory Coast.
It is very likely the chocolate you are about to eat has been produced by slave labour, primarily, child slave labour. Slavery exists in Africa. It exists where people can be exploited. The growing of cocoa beans offers one of the best opportunities to use child slaves.
The Ivory Coast, (Cote d’Ivoire) produces about forty three (43%) percent of the world’s cocoa beans, which being cultivated by slave labour are far cheaper than that produced in nations which have strict labour laws and careful monitoring.
The beans produced in the Ivory Coast are purchased by the major chocolate producers such as Hershey, M&M Mars, Cadbury, Nestle and other famous names. That chocolate you are about to eat is probably made from beans grown in the Ivory Coast. That chocolate was probably produced by boys who have been taken from countries, such as Mali, and sold to farmers in the Ivory Coast.
There are about six hundred thousand chocolate farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and most use child slave labour. Most sell to Hershey and M&M Mars which control two thirds (2/3rds) of the world’s chocolate market. Those chocolate bars on the supermarket shelves have been produced by slave labour. There are companies, however, which only use cocoa that has not been produced with slave labour; among them are, Cloud Nine, Dagoba, Green and Blacks, Newman’s own.
The cocoa beans used by these companies comes from other nations where the farms are monitored and there are labour laws. Some companies buy only Fair Trade Chocolate, and some, like Rapunzel, initiated fair trade and ecology strict guidelines. Rapunzel’s chocolate comes from Bolivia and the Dominican Republic. During the past few years, many organisations have effectively informed the public of the true cost of chocolate. Most people, once aware, refuse to buy chocolate produced by slave labour.
Chocolate is not the only commodity produced by slave labour, and a visit to www.antislavery.org will reveal others. However, you can make a difference by simply not buying chocolate produced by slave labour.
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Post CommentRuby Hawk
On October 8, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I am almost glad I can’t eat chocolate. Informative article.
a fool
On October 8, 2008 at 10:15 pm
this information was well known years ago, however, not in
America.
beeeefa
On July 19, 2009 at 8:52 pm
fart
beeeefa
On July 19, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Sorry for my inappropriate comment before, I apologise. This info was good except I was unsure as to if it is true, as the name of the publisher is A. Fool, meaning a fool. I am sorry if this is the publishers real name, and I have made a terrible misunderstanding.
Yours Sincerely,
Beef.
a fool
On July 23, 2009 at 3:16 pm
All of the information in the article is true. You can find it yourself if you do a search.
Spike McKee
On August 9, 2009 at 11:08 pm
About a year ago I watched a movie called ‘Amazing Grace’ , which is about the fight to stop slavery in England. When I think about that show, and then hear about slave labour or read someting about it, I want to jump up on a soap box and shout to the world “Hey, let’s do something about this.” I’m just 12 years old, and I know about this, so I’m pretty positive that a lot of very important people know about it too. Why don’t they do something about it? Maybe they just like their chocolate too much.
A. Fool
On September 2, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Capitalism has its own impetus. Making more money is the goal. Ignoring slavery is easy. Hence, as the Ivory Coast sells chocolate cheaper those who buy it can produce candy cheaper.
Kevin Forge
On March 7, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Just a reminder that Slavery as it existed west of the Atlantic was not a result of racism or a belief that blacks and Amerindians are a lower species. That notion was invented to reconcile slavery and Christianity.
Slavery, then as now is about money. It was abolished because people found ways to make more money with machines and a few free men than their competitors could with an army of slaves.
If you can figure out a system to grow cocoa beens, using a few free people and some machines that ends up cheaper per pound than the slave produce, cocoa slavery will end. Before it dose the Ivory Coast farmers will try to squeeze more out of their “property” and much of the last generation of slaves will die under the whip.
Another approach is to just invade such places, except military action to free slaves is not fashionable right now.
A. Fool
On March 8, 2010 at 1:07 am
Slavery is about money. That’s why the major companies can produce chocolate so cheaply.
kat24
On March 28, 2010 at 11:25 pm
We, who want injustices such as these to end, ought to find an effective way to get the word out about this, and end it. Maybe a petition to major companies, demanding slave-free chocolate, is the way to go?
A. Fool
On March 29, 2010 at 12:30 am
Some years ago, a protest was held called “Sweet as Blood” in which the abuses were put out for the world to see. But Chocolate is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it was suppressed.
I think if we stop buying Chocolate from the major abusers; Hershey’s, Cadbury, Nestle’s, M&M Mars, and only buy ‘Fair Trade’ Chocolate, maybe it will make a dent in profits.
If you read the labels, chocolate from the Caribbean and certain places in South America are Fair Trade.