Chocolate and Slavery

[TianXiaXueXiao]

Forgive me if this topic has been hashed out already. I'm a little late in discovering the horrifying reality of child slavery hidden behind the chocolate trade. I normally purchase fair trade candies and coffees but I've been known to reach for the huge bag of Nestles toll house chocolate chips at Costco. 😔😠http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/30/lawsuit-your-candy-bar-was-made-by-child-slaves.html

[Jasperstone]

Shocking!!!!

 

Boycott those brands. :'(

[Tanaqui]

It's not really that shocking. Nearly everything you purchase has been tainted by slavery or exploited labor somewhere along the supply chain.  We don't even quite know how many slaves there are.

 

So, yeah. The chocolate industry by and large depends on child slavery. But in the end, most of the modern world runs on exploited labor of some form or another. Once you start looking down that rabbit hole, you find it never ends. There's always more of it.

 

I try to make it a point to buy fair trade for "wants". For necessities, I don't worry so much - not because that suffering is less important, but because I can easily cut chocolate out of my budget if it's too pricey, but I can't just decide not to buy clothes for the children if I can't afford the less-likely-to-use-slaves brands of clothes.

[MercyA]

Horrible. Thanks for sharing this.

[Bluegoat]

It's not really that shocking. Nearly everything you purchase has been tainted by slavery or exploited labor somewhere along the supply chain.  We don't even quite know how many slaves there are.

 

So, yeah. The chocolate industry by and large depends on child slavery. But in the end, most of the modern world runs on exploited labor of some form or another. Once you start looking down that rabbit hole, you find it never ends. There's always more of it.

 

I try to make it a point to buy fair trade for "wants". For necessities, I don't worry so much - not because that suffering is less important, but because I can easily cut chocolate out of my budget if it's too pricey, but I can't just decide not to buy clothes for the children if I can't afford the less-likely-to-use-slaves brands of clothes.

 

I remember a number of years ago when there was quite a controversy about clothing sweat shops, some of the organizations that advocate on the behalf of the workers spoke about this.  They said, essentially, that it is impossible in most cases to even trace the chain effectively, and that it is very difficult to totally avoid compromised clothing, so that boycotts are not very effective.  They suggested that a better strategy is usually to become involved in attempts to improve worker conditions both at home and abroad.

 

I do think that these issues generally are a significant reason that localism is so important with purchasing.  It's really only with local production that people can have a real sense of how things are being produced in terms of worker rights, attention to the environment, and so on.  Even with certifications like fair trade or organic, you can't always be sure what is solid and what is spin, as we see with organic and humane certifications in many cases.

[Guest]

I remember a number of years ago when there was quite a controversy about clothing sweat shops, some of the organizations that advocate on the behalf of the workers spoke about this. They said, essentially, that it is impossible in most cases to even trace the chain effectively, and that it is very difficult to totally avoid compromised clothing, so that boycotts are not very effective. They suggested that a better strategy is usually to become involved in attempts to improve worker conditions both at home and abroad.

 

I do think that these issues generally are a significant reason that localism is so important with purchasing. It's really only with local production that people can have a real sense of how things are being produced in terms of worker rights, attention to the environment, and so on. Even with certifications like fair trade or organic, you can't always be sure what is solid and what is spin, as we see with organic and humane certifications in many cases.

Sure, but I live in IN. The only things I can get that are local are corn and Toyotas.

[milovany]

Sure, but I live in IN. The only things I can get that are local are corn and Toyotas.

 

It's a punchy reply to be sure, but it's just that -- a punchline.  It's not true, right Moxie?   I'm sure there are smalll-scale, local clothing producers, small farms for food, local microbreweries, etc. even in Indiana.  

[Guest]

It's a punchy reply to be sure, but it's just that -- a punchline. It's not true, right Moxie? I'm sure there are smalll-scale, local clothing producers, small farms for food, local microbreweries, etc. even in Indiana.

Ok, sure, I can get local produce for a few months of the year. I doubt I can find anyone to sew jeans or make tennis shoes for my kids or grow cacao for chocolate.

[Laurie]

I don't buy much chocolate because of food allergies and we don't do Halloween.   But now that I've read the linked article I'll look for an alternative to my little Dove dark chocolates. 

 

(If anyone knows of a good dark chocolate that is dairy, gluten, and soy free and doesn't use child slave labor please let me know and I'll buy some.)  

 

I'm not saying that my "predicament" is comparable in ANY way to the children who have been enslaved, but I am so tired of grocery shopping and reading food labels.  It's hard to find tuna that doesn't contain soy, and then I'm supposed to think about whether the tuna was safely caught to protect dolphins.  (And I'm not equating children's lives with dolphins...)     I do some shopping at Whole Foods so I've seen many references to "fair trade" but quite honestly I haven't given that much thought as I'm focused on the allergen information.  I don't even know if "fair trade" has anything to do with the child slavery issue or not?

[ikslo]

I don't buy much chocolate because of food allergies and we don't do Halloween. But now that I've read the linked article I'll look for an alternative to my little Dove dark chocolates.

 

(If anyone knows of a good dark chocolate that is dairy, gluten, and soy free and doesn't use child slave labor please let me know and I'll buy some.)

 

I'm not saying that my "predicament" is comparable in ANY way to the children who have been enslaved, but I am so tired of grocery shopping and reading food labels. It's hard to find tuna that doesn't contain soy, and then I'm supposed to think about whether the tuna was safely caught to protect dolphins. (And I'm not equating children's lives with dolphins...) I do some shopping at Whole Foods so I've seen many references to "fair trade" but quite honestly I haven't given that much thought as I'm focused on the allergen information. I don't even know if "fair trade" has anything to do with the child slavery issue or not?

Enjoy Life brand. Not sure how fair trade they are, but it's the one of the only chocolates DS can have (that we have found, anyway).

[Laurie]

Enjoy Life brand. Not sure how fair trade they are, but it's the one of the only chocolates DS can have (that we have found, anyway).

Thank you!  I buy their cookies, and once in awhile I buy a bag of their chocolate chips for baking or for my son to eat as candy but I didn't know they had chocolate bars, too.   It's been a long time since I've even looked at the candy section at Whole Foods because it was too frustrating to read all the ingredient labels and always find something on the can't-have list.  Next time, I'll look for these!  Thanks again.

[ktgrok]

Fair trade means the workers were paid a reasonable sum and not exploited, is my understanding. I'll be looking for fair trade chocolate, and all my halloween candy just became non chocolate. I'm disgusted. I know i'm naive, but I didn't know this. I really didn't. I don't know how those people sleep at night. If you can't find coco not harvested by CHILD SLAVES then stop making chocolate. period. There is no way to justify continuting to do so. NONE. 

[Bluegoat]

Sure, but I live in IN. The only things I can get that are local are corn and Toyotas.

 

I am sure there is some truth to that.  I also have a hard time finding easy to access to locally made clothing here that is affordable, and I am in a northern climate where the offerings in the grocery store are largely imported most of the year.

 

This is why becoming politically involved in some sense is important.  Not only direct advocacy, but looking at things like what kinds of policies will advance local small business.

 

But I think it is also important to make a really significant effort to be conscious in the purchases we make - don't see it as an excuse to do all your clothing or food shopping at Walmart.  What is available that is locally made?  What shops that offer imported things are at least locally owned?  Can you try and buy used for most things and use the savings to purchase a few good locally made things? What can you find as far as farmer's markets, food coops, or direct buy from farmers?  What can you grow yourself?

 

One thing about food is that it is very responsive to customer desires, and that can quickly impact what is available.  If there is a desire for locally made food, make it known when you do shop in places like farmer's markets.  Join a CSA.  Or grow your own food.  Make a commitment to eat a certain type or percentage of your food seasonally - don't expect fresh tomatoes in January.

 

Anyway - I've just googled local food in IN, and I came up with a page of links.

 

[Joyofsixreboot]

Sure, but I live in IN. The only things I can get that are local are corn and Toyotas.

Unlimited soybeans! Seriously, I strive to buy local and used for many reasons but for some things my choice is limited. No local companies are making phones, meds, or coffee.

[Bluegoat]

Something else about this - there is a link between what we are willing to pay for products, and the ethical standards in their production.  Our desire for so much stuff is a big part of the problem.

 

So if you can't find a particular item - say a cell phone - produced in an ethical way, an important question to ask is whether it is really a need or a want.

[Carol in Cal.]

It's so hard.

When DD was a baby, I really, really wanted to stay home with her.

I also really, really wanted to shop local, have toys and clothes made of natural, organic materials, and eat healthy, local, organic, humane food.

 

I worked hard at this, and there were always a lot of tradeoffs.  There were a few great catalogues with those kinds of clothes and toys.  And I just couldn't justify paying $40 for a onesie when I could buy used ones for almost nothing at garage sales, AND STAY HOME FROM WORK LONGER because of this economy.

 

Everything is like that.

 

I believe that 'to whom much is given, much is expected.'  So I feel more of an obligation now to seek out grass fed/grass finished beef, and I've been a member of a CSA for years.  I can make it work economically now, although it's not really easy.  But I think it's important to try to do this kind of thing, but also important not to crush ourselves or others with guilt when we can't.  

[Tanaqui]

I'm pretty sure that the chocolate sold at Whole Foods is all fair trade. This doesn't mean that WF is off the hook for its own homegrown exploitative labor practices (prison labor and union busting - I have nothing against prisoners being able to work, but I *do* have a lot against underpaying them and then charging them through the nose to do things like make phone calls to their family or lawyers), but at least you can be reasonably certain that there is no outright slavery in their chocolate.

 

If you can't find coco not harvested by CHILD SLAVES then stop making chocolate. period. There is no way to justify continuing to do so. NONE.

 

Then chocolate gets much more expensive. Chocolate, carpets, clothing, computers, cosmetics - everything has a real cost that, by and large, we're not paying. 

 

That's why slave labor is so pernicious. Consumers want to be able to spend just a little bit of money on these things, especially if they don't make very much money themselves. (And isn't that a vicious cycle! Why don't people make that much money? Because cheap and exploited labor is driving the wages really far down. Sheesh.) That's why so many people don't know about this slave labor, really - if you know about it, you have to do something, and it gets so tiring having to check all the time, especially when you know there's no way to 100% guarantee that everything is slave free.

 

And I just couldn't justify paying $40 for a onesie when I could buy used ones for almost nothing at garage sales, AND STAY HOME FROM WORK LONGER because of this economy.

 

I think that when you buy used, you're off the hook for immoral labor practices. And a used shirt is better for the environment any day of the week than a brand new organic one.

 

[ktgrok]

 

Then chocolate gets much more expensive. Chocolate, carpets, clothing, computers, cosmetics - everything has a real cost that, by and large, we're not paying. 

 

 

 

So what? Let chocolate be expensive. It's not a need. No one needs chocolate. 80 yr old scotch is prohibitively expensive. Truffles are expensive. Whatever. No one needs chocolate or truffles or 80 yr old scotch. 

 

I cannot imagine, as CEO of hershey, knowing that I'm paying a child slaver, and justifying it in my mind by saying well, it keeps chocolate prices down. That's evil. End of story. 

 

Let me be clear, I ADORE chocolate. But I'm willing to never ever have it again if eating it means I'm supporting child slavery. 

[umsami]

Costco's Kirkland chocolate chips are fair trade, I believe...and delicious.  

 

I know some of this, but honestly, I kind of want to hide my head in the sand.  The clothes we buy are no doubt produced using close to slave labor.  The food I eat is often picked by migrant farmers who are treated crappily here in the States....or farm workers abroad who are treated most likely worse.  

 

Here is Food is Power's Chocolate List.  

http://www.foodispower.org/chocolate-list/

 

[Tanaqui]

So what? Let chocolate be expensive. It's not a need. No one needs chocolate. 80 yr old scotch is prohibitively expensive. Truffles are expensive. Whatever. No one needs chocolate or truffles or 80 yr old scotch.

 

Except it's not just the chocolate, as I said. It's everything. It's your phone. It's your computer - I assume you have one of those, anyway. It's the clothing you purchase for your kids and yourself. It's your shoes. It's the sugar you put in your coffee this morning, and by the way, it's also the coffee. It's your tunafish, and also your shrimp scampi. (Slavery in the fishing industry is even more appalling.) Slavery is everywhere.

 

So consumers close their eyes, because there is no way to be sure that there is no slave labor somewhere along the supply chain to whatever-it-is. And CEOs do the same, because they figure that if they can say "I didn't know!", then they aren't culpable and can continue raking in the profits. (Honestly, sometimes I think that the world really is run by villains out of Captain Planet, who do things for the evulz. But really, I'm sure it's all about the money.)

 

I don't want to suggest you just don't even bother because you can barely make a dent. I do want to make you see the enormity of the situation. People seem to become fixated on slave chocolate when they find out about it, probably because, as you said, it's not a necessity. But solving the problem of forced labor is going to require a massive overhaul of our system. Slave labor happens because people want to spend less. If we want to end it, we're all going to have to spend more, on lots of things.

[ktgrok]

Right, and I vote and fight for fair wages for workers here, and I try to buy fair trade products. But chocolate? I'm not going to keep buying it just because my computer was made in a sweatshop. I can cut chocolate out without any harm or inconvenience. 

[Word Nerd]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the promise of so-called "fair trade" doesn't match the reality.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I absolutely HATE the simple irony of the electronics situation.

 

I can't have a computer without slave labor. But I can't know about slave labor without my computer. Without the information accessible through the internet, I can't know anything. Without resources available on the internet, I can't teach my children what they need to know in order to grow up and change something.

 

-- Public education is not handling social justice awareness, nor the history of the world and of economics that has brought us to this point.

 

-- Mainstream media will not tell me about children slaving for my chocolate.

 

-- The American church is silent on too many issues.

 

-- The public library has computers, but as long as queues to use them for job searches are still forming, I'm not cutting in on those peoples' time in order to keep myself aware.

 

Major changes will not happen until Americans and other westerners are tired of being told how to live. Who taught us to be so busy that we can't grow food, or even cook dinners for our families? Who taught us to get on this merry-go-round, and why haven't more of us gotten back off? Who taught us to buy ourselves sick and amuse ourselves to death, when our progenitors valued frugality, efficiency, and community? Who taught us that we suddenly have zero interest in where anything comes from or why we want it?

 

This is one reason to homeschool. I am homeschooling so I have time to make sure my children will be aware of the poor of this world, and so they grow up entirely without peer pressure to be driven by the whims of the crowd.

 

I agree with Katie that when I hear of something that costs me nothing to change, such as boycotting mainstream chocolate products, I'm going to do it. I realize I'm not saving the world with that motion, but I am ceasing my contribution to the injustice and that's worthwhile. The drops in the bucket are worthwhile.

[idnib]

I hadn't read about the chocolate/slavery connection, but I just assumed there was one as I do whenever something is grown in undeveloped regions and/or has a fair trade version.

 

For chips, I buy the more expensive Fair Trade (Akoma) version of Guittard. We only go through 1-2 bags/year, 8oz of which are for our Thanksgiving chocolate tart. 

 

I don't eat much chocolate but it's easier to get Fair Trade bars than chips.

[marbel]

Here is a list of ethical chocolate companies.  Surprised (because it's inexpensive chocolate, but also pleased) to see Aldi on the list, but puzzled that Trader Joe's is not, since they are owned by the  same company... or are they?  And Kirkland (Costco) is not on the list.  But, who knows, really? 

[Annie G]

http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/#

 

The above is an interesting article on the subject and near the end it has a link to a list (that you can download to your phone) of companies whose chocolate you might consider buying and companies to avoid. 

 

I can't die on this hill, but I respect those who want to take up the cause. Maybe this list will make it easier for some of you. 

[Carol in Cal.]

I went through this in college, and it hasn't changed as much as you might hope since then.

The 'consumption footprint' of an American is far more severe than of someone from a third world country.  

(I think that that point was developed in response to a then common argument that over population was the main third world issue.)

 

I can't remember everything I felt I should give up, but beer was on the list for some reason--I can't remember why now.

 

And I kept going and digging deeper and deeper, and found that it's basically impossible to be pure.  Navigating this as an adult is kind of like riding a horse.  There are two sides to fall off on.  One side is the side of despair/fury/judgementalism.  The other is the side of indifference/cavilierness/heartlessness.  The middle is always moving a bit, and it always requires balance, skill, forethought, and motion to stay on.  It incorporates parts of each side, but doesn't fall into one or the other.  That's where we have to be, or else we will be either monsters or bigots.  Or suicidal or evil.  That's where we have to be to actually live, to be 'in it but not of it'.  It's our challenge and our privilege to live there, and to purpose to do some good while recognizing that we cannot be perfect at it this side of heaven.  

[ktgrok]

http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/#

 

The above is an interesting article on the subject and near the end it has a link to a list (that you can download to your phone) of companies whose chocolate you might consider buying and companies to avoid. 

 

I can't die on this hill, but I respect those who want to take up the cause. Maybe this list will make it easier for some of you. 

 

By saying you can't die on this hill, do you mean you will knowingly continue to purchase chocolate harvested by child slaves?

[Tsuga]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the promise of so-called "fair trade" doesn't match the reality.

Let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good.

 

No, organic doesn't mean straight from the garden of Eden and everything can be gamed.

 

But there are far more well meaning people working in and on fair trade, organic, and local coops than outside of them.

 

I am fully aware of the limitations of labels and voluntary certifications but a limited improvement is better than no improvement.

 

We try to buy Union, local, organic, free range, and fair trade. Short of dropping out I don't know what else we can do. Oh yeah, and I work in the social sector.

 

Nothing will ever be good enough for virtue hipsters, or people who want to prove they don't have to do anything (organics still use natural pesticides so I gueas we shouldn't even bother is the logic there).

 

I'm just going to do my best. It is better than nothing.

[Word Nerd]

A practice is not "better than nothing" if it actually does more harm.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good.

 

No, organic doesn't mean straight from the garden of Eden and everything can be gamed.

 

But there are far more well meaning people working in and on fair trade, organic, and local coops than outside of them.

 

I am fully aware of the limitations of labels and voluntary certifications but a limited improvement is better than no improvement.

 

We try to buy Union, local, organic, free range, and fair trade. Short of dropping out I don't know what else we can do. Oh yeah, and I work in the social sector.

 

Nothing will ever be good enough for virtue hipsters, or people who want to prove they don't have to do anything (organics still use natural pesticides so I gueas we shouldn't even bother is the logic there).

 

I'm just going to do my best. It is better than nothing.

Well said. I believe that even the small amount of restraint that comes from awareness is worth the trouble of trying to learn...if each family would at least try, the next generation of children might have better values and priorities.

[TianXiaXueXiao]

Except it's not just the chocolate, as I said. It's everything. It's your phone. It's your computer - I assume you have one of those, anyway. It's the clothing you purchase for your kids and yourself. It's your shoes. It's the sugar you put in your coffee this morning, and by the way, it's also the coffee. It's your tunafish, and also your shrimp scampi. (Slavery in the fishing industry is even more appalling.) Slavery is everywhere.

 

So consumers close their eyes, because there is no way to be sure that there is no slave labor somewhere along the supply chain to whatever-it-is. And CEOs do the same, because they figure that if they can say "I didn't know!", then they aren't culpable and can continue raking in the profits. (Honestly, sometimes I think that the world really is run by villains out of Captain Planet, who do things for the evulz. But really, I'm sure it's all about the money.)

 

I don't want to suggest you just don't even bother because you can barely make a dent. I do want to make you see the enormity of the situation. People seem to become fixated on slave chocolate when they find out about it, probably because, as you said, it's not a necessity. But solving the problem of forced labor is going to require a massive overhaul of our system. Slave labor happens because people want to spend less. If we want to end it, we're all going to have to spend more, on lots of things.

I think the headlines have been pretty bold with regard to slave and child labor practices in the garment, computer, and techno gadget industries. I've personally been aware of this for 15 years. Honestly, I never knew about chocolate. I knew about slave labor and coffee, but not about chocolate. I feel like I've done what I can to be ethical in my purchases of shoes and clothing and computers and jewelry and it helped that I lived in a part of the world that has very strong local, small business representation. Now I live in an area that is pretty much owned and operated by Nike and Intel and it's appalling the degree to which they pollute the local air and water with near total impunity. Yes, we live in a society that is globally driven by profits and greed. Maybe we can't free every slave in the Pakistani kilns with consumer boycotts since we aren't likely building with those bricks, but we have the duty to stand up for them in whatever way we can. Boycotts probably won't free slaves in any sector, but we should let these corporations know that we don't support their business practices by forgoing the purchase of their goods. Activism does not begin and end with what we buy or don't buy but it helps. What also helps is finding and funding organizations directly working to free slaves. Bringing these issues out into the open and educating others also helps tremendously.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

A practice is not "better than nothing" if it actually does more harm.

Big picture.

 

If people switch to fair trade coffee and chocolate, even if those labels are not always 100% the people are still buying a fraction of the quantity they'd consumed from the mainstream market.

 

At least, if I buy a luxury item that costs half my husband's hourly wage per pound (or the price of a tank full of gas for my son's commuter vehicle), I'm not going to be buying it very often.

[Annie G]

By saying you can't die on this hill, do you mean you will knowingly continue to purchase chocolate harvested by child slaves?

 

I'm being honest here- even if I don't purchase tainted chocolate, I'm probably going to consume it.  I'll have a hot chocolate at the Christkindlemarket, or a piece of chocolate cake at a party.  I might try really hard to eliminate chocolate but I doubt I can stick with it for life.  Every list I see has different companies on it, and some articles say South America is a good source for slavery free chocolate, but others say no.   Right now, today, it's easy to make a pledge not to consume chocolate. But when my grandson wants to snuggle up and share some Ben and Jerry's with me, I'm going to cave.   

 

I'm just being honest.  

[Anne]

It's a punchy reply to be sure, but it's just that -- a punchline. It's not true, right Moxie? I'm sure there are smalll-scale, local clothing producers, small farms for food, local microbreweries, etc. even in Indiana.

I don't know about Indiana, but here in Alaska, locally produced is VERY limited! Althoughwe do have a number of good microbreweries.... :-)

 

If I ate only what was locally produced, my diet would be woefully lacking in vegies during the winter (Sept - June) and my clothing would be limited to tourist shirts & sweats. I could live off the fish, moose & caribou we can harvest here, and there is a fledgling beef/chicken industry.

 

Anne

[Mergath]

Here is a list of ethical chocolate companies.  Surprised (because it's inexpensive chocolate, but also pleased) to see Aldi on the list, but puzzled that Trader Joe's is not, since they are owned by the  same company... or are they?  And Kirkland (Costco) is not on the list.  But, who knows, really? 

 

Aldi has ethical coffee, too. I'm drinking a cup of their organic, fair trade coffee as I'm typing this. And it's somehow half the price of the coffee at other stores, which makes me worry that maybe it isn't quite as ethical as I'd like, but sadly, I can only do so much. 

[Tsuga]

A practice is not "better than nothing" if it actually does more harm.

That's a great point. And Hershey's and Monsanto have shown again and again what great harm organic fair trade coops have!

 

Not going to buy it. I've been to sweatshop areas and seen the fair trade and I work with people in the industry. I have family in organic farming and friends in fair trade.

 

Believe me, multinationals would love for you to believe that abiding workers in sweatshops and huge farms are actually better than the alternative, but that's not what I see. Follow the owners of the expose blogs. It's all propaganda from those whose business model is threatened by conscious consumption.

 

Perfect? Heck no.

 

But I fail to see how a living wage really hurts people. What I have seen is that some argue that "if we pay them a fair wage then they'll all want to do coffee and the market will crash!" Crash to what, the current price?

 

Most of the arguments against fair trade have nothing to do with the lives of farmers and everything to do with abstract conditional scenarios. The cure according to economists hired by multinationals?

 

Just trust us. ;) just ask Nestle to be nicer.

 

They promise they'll do their best.

[Tsuga]

Aldi has ethical coffee, too. I'm drinking a cup of their organic, fair trade coffee as I'm typing this. And it's somehow half the price of the coffee at other stores, which makes me worry that maybe it isn't quite as ethical as I'd like, but sadly, I can only do so much.

Don't underestimate the price of paying out shareholders. Non profit coops have far less bureaucracy (in some cases).

 

Also they don't always hoard to keep the price up.

 

It's capitalism but knowing workers have a say is important to me.

[El...]

Holy cow.  I did not know about that.  That is appalling.  Yeah, I don't see buying more Nestle chocolate anytime soon.  I need to look up my favorite brand's parent companies.

 

I mean, once you know, you just can't go on, right?  Dang it.  I really like chocolate, but I don't need anymore.

 

Historically speaking, are product/supply chain boycotts effective?  I think I remember people boycotting rum which came from slave labor.  Are there other good examples?  I need to learn more about this. 

[milovany]

(If anyone knows of a good dark chocolate that is dairy, gluten, and soy free and doesn't use child slave labor please let me know and I'll buy some.)  

 

 

ETA - It was called to my attention that I can't read!  Sorry about that.  I didn't focus on the ingredients but on ethically produced and good-tasting.  Plus I may have been thinking of the chocolate coins I purchase for St. Nicholas shoes every November, which are allergen free as far as I know (ETAA-nope, just checked and they have soy, too, but no dairy). 

 

 

OP -

Chocolove.  Yum.  The almonds and sea salt in dark chocolate is my favorite. 

 

To others, if I came across above as if I have my skirts made locally and that all our food is from the farmer's market, I apologize.  I live far from the ideal. 

[ikslo]

Chocolove.  Yum.  The almonds and sea salt in dark chocolate is my favorite. 

 

To others, if I came across above as if I have my skirts made locally and that all our food is from the farmer's market, I apologize.  I live far from the ideal. 

 

I'm confused.  She asked for a chocolate without dairy, gluten, and soy, and the first Chocolove label I looked at has soy lecithin and the label indicates it may contain milk and wheat.  :confused1:  Am I missing something? 

[BarbecueMom]

Aldi has ethical coffee, too. I'm drinking a cup of their organic, fair trade coffee as I'm typing this. And it's somehow half the price of the coffee at other stores, which makes me worry that maybe it isn't quite as ethical as I'd like, but sadly, I can only do so much.

I had a glass of my Aldi fair trade dark roast iced coffee with a handful of Aldi fair trade dark chocolate espresso chips earlier today.

 

It's been an ethical, but rough morning.

[Sneezyone]

The U.S. does produce cacao in Hawaii and there are many single origin growers who supply craft makers in the U.S. and abroad. Manoa Chocolate's goat cheese and lavender versions are fantastic.

[Hyacinth]

http://shop.equalexchange.coop/chocolate/chocolate-bars.html

 

I didn't check them all, but there are some soy-free options here.

[marbel]

I had a glass of my Aldi fair trade dark roast iced coffee with a handful of Aldi fair trade dark chocolate espresso chips earlier today.

 

It's been an ethical, but rough morning.

 

I have never seen these!   I'll have to ask at my Aldi next time I'm there.  Are you in the US? 

 

[BarbecueMom]

I have never seen these! I'll have to ask at my Aldi next time I'm there. Are you in the US?

Yep, they were in the "limited time only" section, bought them on Sunday. Which is half of the middle aisles of my ginormous Aldi.

 

ETA:

 

https://www.aldi.us/en/weekly-specials/special-buys-for-oct-14/oct-14-detail/ps/p/specially-selected-fair-trade-espresso-morsels/

 

ETA2:

 

They are not healthy at all.  Processed hydrogenated oils and all that stuff.  It was an impulse buy after a long weekend with an emergency bathroom renovation, but I normally buy the "healthier" chocolate right at the entrance to the store.  It looks like the Moser Roth bars might be fair trade as well, and probably with less "junk" in them.

[Guest]

Yep, they were in the "limited time only" section, bought them on Sunday. Which is half of the middle aisles of my ginormous Aldi.

 

ETA:

 

https://www.aldi.us/en/weekly-specials/special-buys-for-oct-14/oct-14-detail/ps/p/specially-selected-fair-trade-espresso-morsels/

 

ETA2:

 

They are not healthy at all. Processed hydrogenated oils and all that stuff. It was an impulse buy after a long weekend with an emergency bathroom renovation, but I normally buy the "healthier" chocolate right at the entrance to the store. It looks like the Moser Roth bars might be fair trade as well, and probably with less "junk" in them.

Excuse me but the package clearly indicates those are an ingredient, not a snack.

[BarbecueMom]

Excuse me but the package clearly indicates those are an ingredient, not a snack.

 

I'm using them as a medication.

[marbel]

Excuse me but the package clearly indicates those are an ingredient, not a snack.

 

And your point?  :001_smile:

 

I look pretty carefully at that area of my Aldi but will check next time.

 

We love the Moser Roth chocolate, esp. the 85% cacao.

 

[Mabeline]

Theo's chocolates are fair trade and really yummy.

 

https://www.theochocolate.com