Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew for sure that the Hershey bar you’re using to make s’mores with wasn’t created with child labor?
Today, June 12, is World Day Against Child Labor, created by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2002 to bring attention to the problem of child labor, which can deprive children of an education and other basic freedoms like good health and leisure time.
Unfortunately, Hershey hasn’t yet agreed to any third-party certification programs to ensure their cocoa supply isn’t part of the child labor problem.
Major chocolate companies like Kraft, Mars and Cadbury agreed to certification programs with labor standards, so why can’t Hershey do the same?
Green America wants you to use World Day Against Child Labor as an opportunity to reach Hershey. Ask them to go Fair Trade with their cocoa to ensure it’s free of child labor.
For details on how to contact Hershey and what to say when you do, visit the Green America Ask Hershey to Go Fair Trade page.
Cadbury Dairy Milk (a leading chocolate bar in England) is going to start using Fair Trade cocoa this summer. That means they’ll be supporting a better way of live for many farmers and communities, as well as the environment! Fair Trade practices are also sustainable.
It’s the first major chocolate bar to go Fair Trade!
However, Cadbury needs to understand that chocolate consumers in the US want Fair Trade too. Please let them know your feelings at Green America. You can fill out a form to have your name added to a letter being sent to Cadbury. It will take less than one minute.
The video below with the Cadbury Chief Executive helps explain why the Fair Trade step was taken.
