Chocolate

Chocolate fudge cake, Urban Diner, Edmonton, Canada, Author Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

Chocolate is a pure delight.  But there is a bitter truth behind the sweet taste.  Child labor is heavily involved in cocoa product [1][2][3].

Multiple human rights organizations confirm that over 1.5 million children in West Africa work under hazardous conditions to produce cocoa.  Many of these children are the victims of forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery.  They are deprived of an education, and exposed to dangerous chemicals and equipment.

This exploitation is ongoing despite the public pledges made by major chocolate companies over the past 20 years to eliminate child labor from their supply chains.  Some of the most recognizable chocolate brands still associated with unethical practices include:  Hershey’s Chocolate; Nestle’s Chocolate (Kit Kat, Butterfinger); Mars Chocolate (M&M’s, Snickers, Twix); Ferrero (Nutella, Kinder); and Mondelez (Toblerone, Cadbury).

There are smaller chocolatiers committed to ethical sourcing and transparency.  These make efforts to assure that farmers are paid fairly and work under safe, voluntary conditions through Direct Trade, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance or bean-to-bar production in which the manufacturer controls every step of the process.

The ethically sourced brands (available at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Amazon, and elsewhere) include:  Alter Ego, Beyond Good, Divine Chocolate, Endangered Species Chocolate, Equal Exchange, Raaka Chocolate, Theo Chocolate, Tony’s Chocolonely, and Unreal Snacks.

As consumers, we can reach out to chocolate companies asking that they disclose their supply chains, commit to a living wage for workers, put an end to child labor, and submit to independent audits. 

As Christians, we must make conscientious purchases supporting brands which value people over profit. 

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[1]  Wikipedia, “Child labour in cocoa production”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour_in_cocoa_production.

[2]  Humanium, “The dark side of chocolate:  child labor in the cocoa industry” by Arianna Braga, 8/20/24, https://www.humanium.org/en/the-dark-side-of-chocolate-child-labour-in-the-cocoa-industry/ .

[3]  Felician Magazine, Fall 2025, pp. 12-13, “The Bittersweet Truth about Chocolate”.

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