Chocolate - A Guilty Pleasure in More Ways than One

C H O C O L A T E

A Guilty Pleasure in More Ways than One by Johanna Keigler

What makes a chocolate such a “guilty” pleasure? Maybe it’s the rich, creamy cocoa butter or the sugar content of your typical chocolate bar. But when I feel guilt around a food, it’s also because of the way it was produced and sold. Are the farmers who grew the ingredients being fairly compensated? Are the laborers being paid a living wage (if at all)? How much of an environmental impact does each step from cocoa farm to the chocolate bar I munch on have?

Chocolate is an especially important ingredient to pay attention to in terms of its social and environmental impact. It’s all produced in tropical regions, mainly Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Sadly, child and slave labor is behind much of the cheap/industrial chocolate you see in stores. In some cases, farmers are paid under two dollars per day, and their low wages force them to resort to child labor.

Journalists who investigate cocoa corruption can face dangerous consequences: several who have exposed government corruption in the Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry have been detained, and one even allegedly kidnapped (Food Empowerment Project). The dark sides of the industry makes buying traceable, certified fairtrade chocolate even more important. Looking out for these certifications helps. However these certifications aren’t always perfect: Green America rated Ferrero very low on its chocolate scorecard, but some of its products are Fairtrade certified. Researching beyond the certification, and looking into the differences between them, is a great use of any chocolate lover’s time. Climate change poses a challenge to chocolate production as well: changes in rain patterns and temperature fluctuations are making cocoa beans harder to grow. This will make chocolate more expensive; more money needs to be put into developing climate-adaptation strategies. Since cocoa farmers are typically very poor, they often cannot afford the necessary technologies like drip irrigation that can help them adapt. This makes spending a little extra on fair-trade cocoa especially important if you want to keep enjoying it decades from now.

The sustainability of cocoa production can’t be improved without improving the economic stability of those who grow it.

Here’s a list of some brands that are doing chocolate right, in the ethical sense – and I’ve bolded my personal favorites (list from Green America):

GOOD: Equal Exchange Divine Endangered Species Theo Chocolate Shaman Tony’s Chocolonely Alter Eco

DECENT: Guittard = for baking

HALF-DECENT: Mars Nestle

AVOID: Lindt Hershey Mondelez Ferrero Godiva