The High Price of Cheap Chocolate
With Christmas quickly approaching, chocolate is sure to be on everyones mind. Even outside of the holidays, chocolate is a popular and common gift. Americans consume about 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate annually, an industry worth about $13 billion dollars. Obviously, this is a huge industry, and there is a lot of profit to be made here.
Unfortunately, a large percentage of the world’s cocoa (about 43%) is grown in poor African countries like Ivory Coast. Farming conditions here are dangerous, dirty, and extremely exploitive. Workers are commonly young boys who are paid very little…slavery is not uncommon.
Similar to the Fair Trade movement that became popular with coffee, there are many Fair Trade sources of chocolate that are easily available and affordable. Instead of profit margin, Fair Trade products focus on community improvements, increased wages, and sustainable farming practices. Chocolate is definitely meant to be enjoyed, but not as at the expense of the third-world workers who help bring it to us.
So think twice about eating just any chocolate. Enjoy it in small amounts, and opt for a Fair Trade variety if available.
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