World Vision is urging consumers to buy ethically certified, child labour-free treats.
The cocoa industry has long been plagued with revelations of human trafficking and child labour abuses. Global criticism has pushed a number of major companies to commit to sourcing only ethical, child labour-free chocolate by 2020, including the Hershey Company and Italian confectioner Ferrero.
The organization reached out to the 10 biggest chocolate companies in the country, including Ganong Bros., Lindt and Rocky Mountain, to probe their efforts to address child labour in cocoa harvesting. It asked questions such as, "Do you commit to source only ethical cocoa by 2020 for all of your products?" and "Will the cocoa be certified ethical by a third party or independent organization?"
World Vision compiled the answers into a "chocolate scorecard" and of the 10 companies questioned, only four—Lindt, Purdy's, Rocky Mountain and Rogers' Chocolates—said yes to the 2020 pledge.
Ganong Bros., Nutriart (the company behind Laura Secord) and World's Finest Chocolate (supplier for school chocolate fundraisers) did not respond, despite more than a year's worth of attempts by the aid agency.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...s-pressed-to-ethically-source-cocoa-1.2534144
The cocoa industry has long been plagued with revelations of human trafficking and child labour abuses. Global criticism has pushed a number of major companies to commit to sourcing only ethical, child labour-free chocolate by 2020, including the Hershey Company and Italian confectioner Ferrero.
The organization reached out to the 10 biggest chocolate companies in the country, including Ganong Bros., Lindt and Rocky Mountain, to probe their efforts to address child labour in cocoa harvesting. It asked questions such as, "Do you commit to source only ethical cocoa by 2020 for all of your products?" and "Will the cocoa be certified ethical by a third party or independent organization?"
World Vision compiled the answers into a "chocolate scorecard" and of the 10 companies questioned, only four—Lindt, Purdy's, Rocky Mountain and Rogers' Chocolates—said yes to the 2020 pledge.
Ganong Bros., Nutriart (the company behind Laura Secord) and World's Finest Chocolate (supplier for school chocolate fundraisers) did not respond, despite more than a year's worth of attempts by the aid agency.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...s-pressed-to-ethically-source-cocoa-1.2534144
