Every Easter Australians spend millions of dollars buying hundreds of kilograms of chocolate to eat and give away. But some of this chocolate is tainted by slavery and comes at the cost of a child’s health, education and sometimes his or her freedom.
Much of our chocolate is made using cocoa beans harvested by children, often in the West African region. Many of these children are forced into labour. The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) estimates that there are more than 1.5 million children working in the cocoa sector in West Africa, where about 70% of the world’s cocoa is produced.
The 6th edition of the Chocolate Scorecard will be published at the start of next week, just in time to help you make ethical Easter choices. It is based on surveys to determine which major chocolate companies are truly sweet – not just in taste, but for people, primates, and the planet.
