The Bitter Truth About Valentine's Day Chocolate

In this era where organic foods, environmentally friendly products and sweatshop-free clothing are trendy, why not consider fair trade chocolates for your valentines day gift?

Chocolate that is sold in the US is still being made with cocoa beans harvested by children in Africa working in unsafe conditions, while the average consumer has no idea this is going on. The truth behind chocolate is not-so-sweet. The Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer, providing 43% of the world's cocoa. And yet, in 2001 the U.S. State Department reported child slavery on many cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast. A 2002 report from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture about cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast and other African countries estimated there were 284,000 children working on cocoa farms in hazardous conditions.

These stats came from Global Exchange, a group that offers fair trade chocolates through their store.  Give them a try!