Unfair Trade in Belize - How Kraft Shafts Cocoa Farmers
Posted in: Opinion
Clay's intriguing analysis of this problem begs the question of whether there is genuinely any such thing as "fair trade" cacao, or if this noble term accurately applies to any other product involving physical labor (bananas, coffee, sugar, etc.) for that matter. During the Chocolate Retreat in Belize that I attended with him from 2/20-27/10, he referred to at least one cacao distributor who engages in "direct trade" which sounded far more preferable to the bureaucracy and red tape instrinsic to officially labeled "Fair Trade" cacao. If the U.S. Commerce Dept. and the Trade Representative specifically would take concrete action on this human rights issue, then caveat emptor would not be an essential principle for ethical consumerism to thrive among progressively minded activists who want to enjoy these products without being complicit in international human rights abuses. My practical advice to Clay regarding this article is to directly contact Arianna Huffington & ask her to post this article to the Huffington Post at www.huffingtonpost.com , or accept his submission with links included as reference points. Many more millions of politically interested citizens will be alerted to this critical problem on that site and simultaneously attract more readers to this Chocolate site as well. This subject belongs in the HP Green section will I know her staff will welcome this discussion with open arms.