It is sometimes not enough to know that alternatives exist - sometimes we need to know why the alternatives are preferable. Fairly traded chocolate is the most ethical and most loving option to be found today. But there are best and there are worst of the worst. While none of the large chocolate producers is taking adequate steps to solve their labor problems, it seems that Hershey's has fallen back even from that dragging pack.
Hershey's is the largest manufacturer of chocolate and candy in the US. According to a September, 2010 report by Global Exchange, Green America, International Labor Rights Forum, and Oasis, Hershey's main areas for improvement are Sourcing, Transparency, Greenwashing, and Certification. Hershey's does not have a system in place to ensure that cocoa sourced from West Africa is not produced by human trafficking, forced labor, or child labor. The company does not reveal where its cocoa comes from or name its suppliers. Hershey's donates money to charitable organizations in West Africa and is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation, but the company itself has no policy in place to prevent slave produced chocolate. The company has not taken significant steps toward using a third-party certification such as Fair Trade.
In a graph dated September 2010, Sustainalytics (a sustainability research and analysis firm) contrasted the policies of several of the largest chocolate candy producers and cocoa importers. The graph outlines company policies, monitoring programs, MSI capacity building (go to www.msiworldwide.com for more info), certified cocoa procurement and quantitative goals and dates for its procurement, and company disclosure of progress made toward each of these goals. In order of best to worst, the companies are: Callebaut, Cadbury Kraft (not available in the US - Hershey's holds the US Cadbury contract), Mars, Lindt and Sprungli, Kraft, Nestle, ADM, Olam, Cargill, and, dead last, Hershey's. Hershey's company profile on www.responsibleshopper.org has even more implicating information.
So this Halloween, if you run out of time to order great candy from the available fantastic sources, please at least avoid Hershey's products:
5th Avenue, Almond Joy, Breathsavers, Bubble Yum, Cadbury, Reese's, Good & Plenty, Heath Bars, Icebreakers, Jolly Ranchers, Kit Kat, Mauna Loa, Milk Duds, Hershey's Miniatures Mounds, Mr. Goodbar, Pay Day, Rolo, Skor, SnackBarz, Snacksters, Hershey's Granola Bars, Symphony, Hershey's Syrup, Take 5, Twizzlers, Whatchamacallit, Whoppers, York, Young & Smylie Licorice, Zagnut, Zero
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