The Cost of Chocolate

Photo Credit: Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

A new report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that the world's largest chocolate companies rely on more than 1 million child laborers in West Africa. In 2001, Congress pressured chocolate companies to eradicate child labor, but they failed to meet deadlines from 2005 to 2010. Will they adhere to the new 2025 goal? If the past is any indication, consumers need to get involved.

Child labor is increasing.
To estimate how many children are working in cocoa production, the U.S. Department of Labor asked NORC, an independent research institution at the University of Chicago, to conduct a survey during the 2018-2019 harvest season in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The data shows that 45% of children (ages 5-17) in cocoa growing areas are child laborers, marking a 14% increase from 2008. The majority of these children are engaged in hazardous work. They use sharp tools, like machetes, to clear brush and are exposed to harmful pesticides.

And, there's child trafficking.
The data mentioned above does not include children trafficked from Burkina Faso to Côte d’Ivoire for cocoa labor. Tulane's 2009 survey, which was based on interviews with former migrant workers, found that traffickers offered children money or other incentives to travel to Côte d’Ivoire. Of the 600 people interviewed, the majority experienced physical violence or threats of violence and did not feel free to leave.

There is a solution.
Cocoa farmers in the Fairtrade program receive "an extra 10% percent or more of prices," but that will not lift farmers out of poverty. A Dutch company, Tony’s Chocolonely, pays larger premiums to ensure farmers have a living wage. Frustrated by the exploitation of children, last year, an executive told the Washington Post, “Nobody needs chocolate. It’s a gift to yourself or someone else. We think it’s absolute madness that for a gift that no one really needs, so many people suffer.”

Support boutique chocolate companies. Slave Free Chocolate maintains a list of companies that are certified by organizations like Fairtrade and are committed to purchasing traceable cocoa that has not been harvested by child or slave labor. Their list features boutique companies like River Sea Chocolate that work directly with small-scale sustainable cocoa farms.

Monitor the 2025 goal. Governments, advocates, and consumers have been catalysts for change. Large chocolate companies have made a few strides since 2001. For example in 2018, Hershey launched a Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System, but much work remains to be done. In addition to Hershey, check out how Mars and Nestlé are working toward the 2025 goal. Girl Friday will be monitoring their programs along with news on child labor in chocolate production. Stay tuned for more on social media!