The Not So Sweet Side of Chocolate by Michael Benitez Santana

                   The Not so Sweet Side of Chocolate

Dear Chocolate Lovers,

A lot of people love to eat chocolate, but all of us are failing to realize that child labor is involved in the process of creating the chocolate we couldn’t live without. Who doesn’t like chocolate? Well, for some children in West Africa, chocolate is their worst enemy. Chocolate isn’t so sweet after all.

75 percent world’s cocoa is produced by Ivory Coast and other West African countries. Children in West Africa are forced to work under child labor. They cut open and produce the cocoa that is later on used to make the chocolate bar we all love so much. They work in very harsh conditions. They use machetes to cut open the cocoa. There is an outrageous amount of children, suffering with back and neck pain just so we can have our chocolate. Plus, how they feel on the inside, stolen from their families and forced to work, not given a chance to go to school and learn. Child laborers are in between the ages of five and eight-teen. All of these children are smuggled, stolen from their families, and are forced to work. Farmers are paid 1 euro ($1.27) for a kilo of cocoa beans, from 1 kilo you can make 40 chocolate bars.

There are a lot of things consumers can do to help prevent trafficking and child labor. Consumers can buy fair trade certified chocolate. Some companies with fair trade chocolate are Theo Chocolate, Equal Exchange, Divine Chocolate, and Askinosle. Fair trade certified chocolate guarantees farmers minimum price, enforces labor conditions (prohibits forced child labor), and encourages environmental sustainability. Consumers can also put increased pressure on international companies that purchase cocoa. Not only that, but we can also raise awareness among the public. Posters, signs, and school activities all let the public know about the not so sweet side of chocolate.

Did you know? Hershey’s is a laggard when it comes to corporate social responsibility concerning its core products. Hershey’s cocoa across all products will be fair trade certified one decade later, in the year of 2022. By that time, the amount of children in child labor now will not compare, it will totally skyrocket.

Child labor has taken enough lives already, each day, one more life is taken. All because of the chocoholics we are. If we want to eat chocolate, and feel really good about it, then we should eat chocolate, without baby blood mixed in.