“Want some Hello Pandas?”
“What flavor are they?”
“Chocolate.”
“Oh…I’m good.”
“Hrm? Are you allergic?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you eat chocolate?”
“It’s made by slaves.”
“Do you like chocolate?”
“I love it.”
We were both in Fresno, CA for a missions trip when I discovered this about my then new friend Faith. From there I started to learn more about the chocolate industry from her and how much of the chocolate that we westerners eat is contaminated by human trafficking, child labor, and forced labor. Nestle, Mars, Hershey, Haagen-Dazs, you name it, all these companies get their source of cocoa from unethical sources. The countries in West Africa (Côte d’Ivoire being the largest producer of cocoa) use boys age 12-16 as their main labor force. It’s estimated that around 200,000 of them are sold into slavery each year. They toil fourteen hours a day in grueling work environments without pay, and are physically punished if they are unable to do so. After a long day they are only fed enough to survive. They live in shanty shacks that pack them to together like cattle, with the overpowering smell of their own waste.
On that missions trip we were also learning a lot about God’s justice and His heart for the oppressed. At first I thought my friend was crazy for fasting chocolate; it’s freaking impossible. But by the end of the trip, I felt that I had to apply what I learned from those 6 weeks.
I’ve been fasting chocolate for over 2 years now and its a subject that I ever seldom bring up anymore though I still practice it. Chocolate is everywhere. And I can really see that it brings people together and gives them joy, and I hate to be the one to bring the bad news. I wasn’t like this when I first started, I was pretty vehement about it and it was something that I brought up frequently. The college environment helped, when I was surrounded by people who desired change and reform. But God is trying to reignite His passion within me. The truth is that it is absolutely atrocious that the enjoyment that we receive from chocolate comes at the expense of others. I invite you to become an advocate for justice. Please do some research for yourselves and get a clear picture of how the chocolate industry works. Support fair trade chocolate companies! Or be bold enough to share what you’ve learned.
As a chocolate lover myself, this was heartbreaking news, but there are things to celebrate as well. God has seen their suffering and heard their pleas, and He has come down to liberate them from their oppression.
Things that has happened since I fasted chocolate:
- Ben and Jerry’s implemented fair trade cocoa, among other fair trade ingredients into some of their flavors. They are continually working to implement this in the rest of their flavors.
- Cadbury, the largest confectionery producer in Europe, switched to using fair trade chocolate in their most popular product, Dairy Milk.
- Golden Oreos.
- Spicy Fair Trade Hot Chocolate.
- Choco Dream Fair Trade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, practically fair trade Nutella.
Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for righteousness, for the will be filled. Indeed. But we’re still not yet satisfied, there’s still much to be done.
