As I was
slowing eating my way through a box of chocolate with my sisters the
conversation turned to the benefits of organic and fair trade chocolate. A couple of Google searches later, I found an
article on the ethics of chocolate on grist.org. The article began by telling
the reader some of the nastier, less ethically appealing side of chocolate,
comparing the African cacao trade to blood diamonds. The article reported that
many areas of chocolate production involve child slave labor, rainforest
demolition, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). My reaction to that
information was something along the lines of “thank goodness that my favorite
brand of chocolate is organic and a Fair Trade brand.” And then I continued to
read the article.
The next
section was headed with the phrase “Don’t depend on labels like ‘organic’ and
‘Fair Trade’ to single-handedly soothe a guilt-stricken sweet tooth.” The
article continued on to point out that sustainability has the three pillars of
environment, economic, and social. The certification of “organic” only deals
with the environmental pillar and doesn’t involve economic or social
sustainability. And “Fair Trade” only guarantees
that a fair price was paid to local farmers for the cacao beans, observing fair
labor practices and supporting the local community, but fails to mention that
farmers have to pay to get the certification. The labels can help to choose the
lesser of the evils, but still adds a link into the supply chain. The moral of
the story is to attempt to buy from the shortest supply chain that you can,
often carrying the label of “direct trade”, single origin “bean to bar”
companies, and consequently a larger price tag.
-Whitney
http://grist.org/food/a-guide-to-ethical-chocolate/
I have never really given much thought to where chocolate actually originates from because I am usually too excited to eat it! This sheds light on a new situation that I would not have previously expected; the downsides to chocolate are more than just health issues. GMO's in chocolate? I have to say that is unexpected, especially since we live in a country where labeling is not required. I was unaware of the child labor taking place in order to get a candy bar. This seems like a serious situation, considering there are 7 billion people on this Earth and there are many, many people out there that like sweets.
ReplyDeleteThe GMO's actually doesn't surprise me. Most of our grown food has some form of modification or genetic influence drawn into it. Cacao beans are a tropical produce so it's really hard to grow in this biosphere. Child and slave labor are (tragically) commonplace in these types of areas - poor, underdeveloped, heavily agricultural countries. I feel the only way to be 100% certain that our food isn't genetically modified or passed through the hands of a child-worker is to use our own backyard as our dinner table.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brooke, the only way to 100% guarantee our food is "good" is to do it ourselves. Because, unfortunately, our world works towards whatever is easiest and economically sound - not what is always best. Child and slave labor, GMOs, and underpayment for services are common not only for our delicious chocolate bars but other food and products that are made around the world.
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