Ethical Travel - Inside West Africa's chocolate industry
Whether you're buying a box for someone you fancy or treating yourself to a little something, chocolate is the gift of love. From single-estate varieties to the pleasure of unwrapping your favourite bar, there's something for every budget, palate and relationship. Sadly the chocolate industry has become a victim of its own success. Global demand is rising and we consumers are the final link in a shadowy chain of growers, exporters, agents and manufacturers. In fact, the only thing most of us know about chocolate is that it tastes nice, but it's time we knew more.
Story Highlights
- An Uncertain Future
- Messing With Perfection
- Ethical Practice - Quality Product
An Uncertain Future
With world demand up, cocoa farmers should be prospering - but they're not. "Cocoa farmers are generally at the mercy of agents who come to buy their cocoa and may cheat them, or not pay them" say Divine Chocolate's Charlotte Borger. In addition to unscrupulous agents, farmers have been impacted by poor soil, adverse weather and pests. This means diminishing yields and an uncertain future for farmers already struggling to survive. Even more ominous is the prevalence of child labour within the West African cocoa sector, an industry responsible for 70% of the world's raw cocoa supply. It was estimated that as of March 2011, 1.8 million children - some victims of human trafficking - were labouring on West African cocoa farms.
Messing With Perfection
We pay a high price to taste the food of the gods and surely with a reputation like that, there's no need to change things. But in an effort to lengthen shelf life and reduce costs, some manufacturers substitute vegetable oil for cocoa butter, the fat traditionally used to give chocolate its smooth feel. If that offends your purist sensibilities, you're not the only one. European Union members have tussled over how chocolate should be defined, with some countries refusing to sell the vegetable fat varieties. If you're the curious sort, check out the ingredients and the taste. You'll notice chocolate with vegetable fat gives you a thick, sticky mouth-feel while higher quality chocolate cools your mouth as it melts. That sensation is the cocoa butter at work.
Ethical Practice - Quality Product
Because of its sheer size, the West African supply chain has proved difficult to monitor. As evidence of child labour has mounted in the region and the conditions that cocoa farmers face have become apparent, efforts have been made to regulate the industry. Some endeavours have come directly from the multi-nationals of big chocolate, with Nestlé promising to crack down on child labour within its supply chain. International agreements committed to improving standards within the industry - like the Cocoa Protocol - have been signed and are backed by industry groups, and cocoa growing governments. These promises are a start, but it's still not clear if they'll improve conditions for those working in the cocoa industry. Consumers are at the end of the supply chain, but when we buy cheap chocolate, we're not just cheating ourselves out of a quality product. We’re also swindling producers out of a decent price for their hard work.
The industry is dominated by big chocolate but the success of the farmers at Ghana's Kuapa Kokoo - the cooperative that supplies Divine Chocolate - has shown that Fair Trade formula is a win-win for consumers and producers alike. Cooperative members aren't just guaranteed a fair price for their cocoa - they're able use the profit for the good of their community. And the benefit to consumers? Quality of chocolate, quality of life and peace of mind. Simple.
- Jackie Reddy
