Well it's that time of the year again. Time to order flowers and chocolate for your sweetie. If you really want to do something sweet for your beloved, show some love for the children of the world. According to this article I found on Yahoo! Green, most cocoa is harvested in Africa, specifically Ghana and the Cote d'Ivoire, by children as young as six years old. Many of the children don't attend school and are exposed to toxic pesticides. Also, with the demand for chocolate increasing, many rainforests are being cleared to farm cocoa. The chocolate industry is becoming more sensitive to this issue and has begun to make inroads to reducing the child labor issues and developing more sustainable cocoa farming practices. For chocolate that tastes as good as it can make you feel, look for a "fair trade" designation on the label or organic. The article includes a lists of chocolates to look for and links to the websites of the confectioners. My personal favorite is the Endangered Species chocolate brand. It is by far the smoothest, creamiest and richest of the organics and fair trade brands that I have tasted.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Thank you for your kind words about Endangered Species Chocolate and for spreading awareness on this issue.
Endangered Species Chocolate is shade-grown and ethically traded (meaning farmers are ensured humane working conditions and a fair price for their cocoa)...so you can feel good about your indulgence!
You may also be interested to learn about our Nigerian Sponsorship of educational materials and water pumps for the villages near where our cocoa is grown. To read more and view photos, visit http://www.chocolatebar.com/nigeria.asp.
Thank you for dedicating a post to this important topic.
Sincerely,
Monica Erskine
Customer Service Representative
Endangered Species Chocolate
P.S. My current favorite flavor is our new 3oz. Organic Dark Chocolate with Goji Berry, Pecans & Maca!
Post a Comment