Hershey pledges $10 million to improve West African cocoa farming, fight child labor By David Ariosto, CNN The Hershey company, one of the United States' leading chocolate producers, says it's pledged $10 million over the next five years to educate West African cocoa farmers on improving their trade and combating child labor. The region is home to about 70% percent of the world's cocoa but has also been the source of recent scrutiny over its alleged use of child labor. (More about the issue) Hershey's announcement Monday heartened activists, who say the company is finally focusing efforts on improving the root cause of the issue. "It's a start," said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum. "We see this as a welcome first step toward accountability." The company said in a press release that chocolate consumers will later this year be able to purchase a new version of Hershey's Bliss brand, which will be 100% made from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms mostly in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Gearhart's organization, which had planned to run a Super Bowl advertisement denouncing Hershey for its alleged use of child labor, has since decided to pull the commercial because of Monday's announcement. "We feel (Hershey's) joining with Rainforest Alliance sends the right message, but its just the start," said Gearhart. Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based conservation group with whom Hershey has partnered, says it employs monitors in West Africa to conduct random audits of cocoa farms to ensure they are pursuing sustainable practices without the use of child labor. Following such audits, the organization issues certificates to farmers or group certificates to collections of small farmers, using "several dozen auditors" for tens of thousands of farms across the region, according to Alex Morgan, a Rainforest Alliance senior manager. Currently, between 1% and 2% of Hershey products are certified, said Andy McCormick, the company's vice president of public affairs. "Hershey is extending our commitment with new programs to drive long-term change in cocoa villages where families will benefit from our investments in education, health and economic opportunities," said J.P. Bilbrey, Hershey President and CEO in a statement. The move follows a recent CNN documentary entitled "Chocolate's Child Slaves," that explored a human trafficking network and farmers using child labor in Ivory Coast. -CNN's David McKenzie contributed to this report. Looking for more ways to help fight modern-day slavery? Check out the CNN Freedom Project's How to Help sectio 1) How to Buy Ethical Chocolate: (see videos following, the last video
posted
Good find. It is unfortunate that companies like Hershey will continue to do business as usual, and will only pull off publicity stunts targeted at fending off publicly-announced criticisms of their tacit support for oppressive working conditions in cocoa farms, unless consumers in the so-called 'west' practically hurt them in the pocket for these unsavory business practices. However, many consumers in the 'west' are so hooked on chocolate, that they hardly even give a second of thought to how the raw materials had been acquired. This only feeds businesses like Hershey.
My guess is that even if International Labor Rights Forum pressed ahead with their ad denouncing Hershey's traditional practice of feeding into child labor, few people/consumers will actually be bothered by it.
Posts: 7516 | From: Somewhere on Earth | Registered: Jan 2008
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by The Explorer: few people/consumers will actually be bothered by it. [/QB]
I think they would be bothered by it if they knew about it and people kept the issue visible.
I was looking at some candy bars today in the U.S. I mentioned Cadbury and Kit Kat but noticed that only European import versions of these had a fair trade logo. I assume the ethical thing to do is to not buy any chocolate that does not have has a fair trade certification, do you agree? The Hershey Company announced yesterday that it will make its first commitment to sourcing independently certified cocoa for its Bliss line by the end of 2012. It could be a start. Or it could be a hustle to sell more of all their other lines that are not "Bliss line".
SIGN THE PETITION FOR HERSHEY TO CONVERT TO ALL FAIR TRADE COCOA here:
I assume the ethical thing to do is to not buy any chocolate that does not have has a fair trade certification, do you agree?
And who issues these "fair trade" certificates?
I am skeptical about such marketing ploys. How does one determine if these "fair trade certifications" actually have substantive realities to them?
These companies favor these working conditions overseas, because it serves as a pool for cheap labor, and one which could be well out of the view of their own domestic consumers. This is a systematic phenomenon; it's not just the 'western' chocolate companies that benefit from such extreme exploitation of working people outside their own borders--it's pervasive in the business establishment.
Posts: 7516 | From: Somewhere on Earth | Registered: Jan 2008
| IP: Logged |
I assume the ethical thing to do is to not buy any chocolate that does not have has a fair trade certification, do you agree?
And who issues these "fair trade" certificates?
I am skeptical about such marketing ploys. How does one determine if these "fair trade certifications" actually have substantive realities to them?
These companies favor these working conditions overseas, because it serves as a pool for cheap labor, and one which could be well out of the view of their own domestic consumers. This is a systematic phenomenon; it's not just the 'western' chocolate companies that benefit from such extreme exploitation of working people outside their own borders--it's pervasive in the business establishment.
This situation involves child labor specifically. I assume you buy products made by corporations, it's hard to avoid. I ask you if you have had anything chocolate this past week.
Posts: 43028 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes, I buy products made by corporations, and so, I'm just as guilty in feeding the corrupt system. I'm not going to cover it up, just because I criticize the system. If anyone's bought anything, made in say, China, then there is a very real possibility that you are enabling considerable exploitation of fairly low-wage workers.
I can boycott products from big corporations who thrive on exploiting low-wage labor pool in nations outside the home countries of said corporations, but it would take a whole lot more people than just myself, to bring these corporations to their knees. At least, I am conscious of the problem and spreading the word about it.
As for chocolates; I'm not very keen on them, like many folks in the so-called 'west' are.
Posts: 7516 | From: Somewhere on Earth | Registered: Jan 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
If an American company has a factory in China and the conditions are bad how much fault is America and how much the Chinse government?
Posts: 43028 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
If an American company has a factory in China and the conditions are bad how much fault is America and how much the Chinse government?
An American company has a factory in China for possibly two reasons: to circumvent local Chinese tariffs against imports and/or to exploit cheap labor. An American company in China lopsidedly benefits a small layer of wealthy business men in both China and America in a very substantial way, up against wage-workers of either countries. So aristocrats of both countries are at fault. It's not an either/or situation.
I like to add to an earlier comment, that when I buy from corporations, these are generally what I would call the 'bare essentials', and even then, I try to be mindful of the business practices of the producers of the items that I do get; it may boil down to weighing the decision on the lesser of two evils. I wouldn't exactly consider "chocolate" a "bare essential". I've heard news of people camping outside stores all day long and forming long lines, and even trampling people nearly to death, if not actually to death, for something like a supposedly "limited edition" of a sneaker.
Posts: 7516 | From: Somewhere on Earth | Registered: Jan 2008
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic