Posts Tagged ‘cocoa’
2022 Cocoa Barometer
It is now 20years since chocolate companies signed the Harkin-Engel protocol, a voluntary agreement to end the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa industry. The 2022 Cocoa Barometer raises the question “why haven’t we solved these problems yet?” It seems that instead of this problem being solved additional problems are impacting the cocoa…
Read MoreTowards A Slavery-Free Easter
The first ACRATH Conversation for 2022 looked at the issue of slavery in the chocolate industry and how we can move towards a slavery-free Easter. Be Slavery Free Co-Directors Carolyn and Fuzz Kitto and Peter Millard, Supply chain Manager Haigh’s Chocolates, shared their passion for a ‘world free of slavery’, and how this can be…
Read MoreCocoa Slavery
Slavery has existed in the cocoa industry for centuries. In our time slavery in the cocoa industry predominantly impacts on children who are trafficked and treated as disposable commodities. In 2001 cocoa buyers and chocolate manufacturers, via the Harkin Engel Protocol, made a commitment to end the worst forms of child slavery by 2005. Now,…
Read MoreChild Slavery Lawsuit Blocked
Six men who had been trafficked from Mali to work on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast were involved in a lawsuit against Nestlé USA and Cargill. The men had been forced to work 12-14 hours a day on cocoa farms. They claim the chocolate companies perpetuated the slave trade in order to keep cocoa prices…
Read MorePartnering with SVHA
To honour St Josephine Bakhita Day (Feb 8th) this year, the Advocates for Change at St Vincent’s Health Australia (SVHA in Melbourne chose to set up a week long window display for the passing public to view from the street. The awareness-raising display featured ACRATH’s work in advocating against all forms of Modern Slavery. Particularly…
Read MoreEnjoying Darrell Lea Chocolate
Thank You Darrell Lea When Victorian ACRATH members gathered recently for their monthly meeting they delighted in the recent announcement from Darrell Lea that they are committed to sourcing their cocoa from sustainable sources. ACRATH has been engaged in campaigning for this issue for many years. We strive to use our consumer choices to send…
Read MoreThank You Darrell Lea
Commitment to use Sustainable Cocoa The news that the board of Darrell Lea unanimously voted to source sustainable cocoa is cause for great joy and celebration. The company is now in the process of selecting a Certification Body and endeavouring to achieve 100% sustainable cocoa procurement within the next 12 months. In collaboration with STOP THE…
Read MoreSlavery Free Easter Chocolate
Is Your Easter Egg Slavery Free? In 2015, Pope Francis said that “every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral – and not simply an economic – act.” Thousands of children in West Africa pick cocoa beans that are used in chocolate production. Most of the children don’t know what…
Read MoreThe Problem with Chocolate
Sr Sarah Puls speaks about Slavery in the Cocoa Industry In a recent interview aired on ABC Radio National ACRATH member, Sr Sarah Puls sgs, spoke on the link between chocolate and child slavery. Sarah explained that most of the chocolate we eat in Australia comes from West Africa. People in this area are at risk of exploitation…
Read MoreA Matter of Taste
Help Drive the Demand for Traffik-free Chocolate Since the more recent media exposé of the traffcking of children and child labour on cocoa farms in 2000, the chocolate industry has been trying to address the issue, albeit sometimes slowly. All of the major chocolate manufacturing companies now have a Code of Conduct – a promise to protect the environment and the human rights…
Read MoreLooking for Slavery-Free Easter Eggs?
Help Spread the Word If you know where you can buy Easter Eggs certified free from child slavery tell your family and friends. Consumer demand can make a big impact on both the producer and the retailer of a product. In past years some people have found it difficult to find Slavery-free Easter Eggs so…
Read MoreSlavery-free Easter
Will Your Easter Eggs Be Slavery-free? In 2015, Pope Francis said that “every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral – and not simply an economic – act.” Cocoa is a key ingredient of chocolate. Much of the chocolate sold in Australia is made using cocoa beans picked by children, many…
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