Onwards and upwards in the chocolate campaign...

Today it was the turn of Mars. Don't you just love velvety, smooth Galaxy chocolate? Mmmm.... Anyway I am nothing if not a fair person so my first stop was to the Mars website to find out what they are currently doing. And it is quite impressive. Like Cadbury's they have been on to this child slavery scam for a number of years now and are working with various organisations to bring about a certification system for cocoa production. This is ongoing but it is behind schedule. This is, I think, where the likes of Stop the Traffik come into play, as a pressure group to speed things along. But Mars had lots of info about what they are doing in cocoa research, education & environmental projects as well as dealing with the social issues. I won't be too quick to demonize anyone but that is no reason to give up the fight...

Mars policy - Approach to Responsible Cocoa Farming

Stop the Traffik - Into Battle...

I have been a bit of a chocolate addict for all my life. Chocolate is more than just a 'sugar burst' for me, it goes much deeper than that. My Dad was not what you would call demonstrably affectionate. He was much loved and respected but, certainly from my childhood experiences of him, he was a bit distant - the big, strong man in the corner. As a small child I remember, often on a Thursday night (pay day) how he used to send my brother out to the mobile (remember mobile shops?) to buy sweets; a veritable embarrassment of riches, with virtually every sweet product that the mobile stocked. Dad would empty the bag of goodies out onto the floor and share them out. I would look on, my mouth watering in anticipation and then I would proceed to stuff my face until I felt sick. I always seemed to feel full halfway through a Crunchie. I would have to leave it until the next day when I would return to it, the honeycomb centre all soggy and sweet with yesterday's saliva. So I guess chocolate is synonymous with love for me. As much as I have grown to love Fairtrade chocolate over the years, it just doesn't excite me in the same way as Cadbury's, Mars and, dare I say, Nestlé. So I have resolved not to be passive in the Chocolate Campaign. So, let battle commence.

My first stop was the Cadbury website. I wanted to give them a chance to declare their commitment to Traffik free chocolate. I was encouraged by the comments on their website. But knowing that large corporations can be a bit slippery I sent the following comment to them:

I have enjoyed Cadbury's chocolate products for most of my 45 years. Recently the plight of child slavery in the cocoa farms of the Ivory Coast has been brought to my notice by the website www.stopthetraffik.org. At the moment I am not buying any chocolate unless it bears the fairtrade guarantee. As I love Cadbury's chocolate this is a major sacrifice in my small world. I am heartened to read in your webpages about your involvement in a global alliance to bring about an end to unethical child labour practices in cocoa production. However, would you not consider publicly showing your commitment to this cause by printing a 'Traffik free' guarantee on your product labels? If this is a just social issue which has your corporate support, where is the harm? The sooner you can do this, the sooner I can once more avail myself of your delicious product range.

I will keep you posted of any response.

Stop the Traffik 3

Do not watch this until you have watched the first film posted on 3rd April AND the second film posted on 4th April.

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www.stopthetraffik.org


Film produced by Contrapositive. Photos: Richard Hanson, Tearfund. Additional footage: The Salvation Army International Development (UK). William Wilberforce/Slave images: Anti-Slavery International.

Stop the Traffik 2

Do not watch this until you have watched the first film posted on 3rd April.

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www.stopthetraffik.org

Stop the Traffik 1

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www.stopthetraffik.org