Are you planning to give out chocolate this Halloween? Did you realize that some major chocolate brands purchase their chocolate from farms and plantations that engage in child labor or slave labor? Many other brands choose to look the other way and don’t track their ingredient sourcing carefully. Buying Fair Trade chocolate is a good way to support growers who are not using child or slave labor on their plantations. Look for the Fair Trade mark on the labels of chocolate (and coffee and tea) to support companies that are compensating growers fairly.
The UUCPA Action Council will not be selling fair trade chocolate this year, but you can buy your own to share for trick-or-treating. To make it easier, we have done some of the research for you!
Please have a look at the 2023 chocolate “scorecard,” which rates and compares chocolate brands and retailers on a host of issues such as traceability, child and forced labor, living wages, deforestation, and agrochemical management:
Chocolate+Scorecard+2023-A4-Eng.pdf
Not all companies sell chocolate in packages that are convenient for Halloween. We have collected links to several online stores where you can order individually wrapped Fair Trade chocolates, along with the approximate unit price per piece (before shipping and taxes). Below are some of the less expensive options we found:
Equal Exchange: Unit price is $0.22 per piece. We have sold these at UUCPA in some past years.
https://shop.equalexchange.
Divine: Unit price is $0.30 per piece.
https://shop.
Ocho: Unit price is $0.44 per piece.
https://www.ochocandy.com/
Unreal Dark Chocolate Minis: Unit price is $0.49 online at Costco Online website (for members).
https://www.costco.com/unreal-
but one UUCPA member recently found them at a Costco store for less ($0.39 per piece).
Tony ChocoLoney: Unit price is $0.49 per piece, but currently sold out, so please check back again!
https://tonyschocolonely.com/
Beyond Good: Unit price is $0.79 per piece for pure dark single origin chocolate minis.
https://beyondgood.com/
Alter Eco: Unit price is $1.00 per piece:
And lastly, the Natural Candy Store sells many natural brands, including some Fair Trade chocolate. This may be a useful site to browse and find out about some unique candy products:
https://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/fair-trade-candy
Of course , you can always give raisins or small toys for Halloween instead of candy! However, if you choose to give chocolate or indulge yourself with some, the Action Council urges you to purchase Fair Trade chocolate to support fair wages and avoid rewarding the abusive labor practices which are common in the industry.
Thank you,
Action Council members Kristi Iverson (chair), Sally Ahnger, Edie Keating, Karen Skold, Sean Hansen, and Chris Cassell