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  I'm in grade eight this year and I did my speech on child slavery. I was shocked and completely appaled at such human ignorance. Do chocolate producers really think that aa sweet snack is more important than the very lives of young children all over the world? I know I allong with you, and countless others- if they knew dont. One thing that my father pointed out to me though, was that even if they stop using child slaves, those children will be back with there faimilies and not getting beaten and abused, wich is an improvement- im NOT denying that, but them and their faimily still have no money- the reason some of them were sent into slavery in the first place- for the teeny amount of money they can get out of it. I think we have a bigger issue on our hands than we think. Refraining to support theese chocolate companies, and even aboloshing slavery altogether would still leave millions hungry, homeless, and dying.
Im going to hold a fundraiser at my school selling slave- free chocolate and arising awairness about this issue, but I urge others to think about ways we can help those faimilies find other ways to produce a reasonable income- a humane way. I know a store called 10 000 villages that sells things people in third world countries made. They are beautiful and unique things and I urge everyone to look for a store neer them. I'll also start a petition at my school of about 1000 students and hopefully that will get many signatures. I would like to thank everyone who puts effort into this cause and this website. You all have amazing hearts.
 
  Let's all make our small difference in this apperently horrific world
God Bless,
  Meg

Edited by author 02-05-2009 08:21 PM
this has got to stop like now. I never new or was informed about this until now and it makes me want to cry. The reason we need to make this stop is because if we dont worse could happen, and what that means to is children dead not just dead tortered and then slaved and also what I learnded was these kids dont get a good education they get nothing.
And I just wanted to add one more thing if we dont do something I will. Think about it these humans living peoples live's are fading away.

                                        THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!



           COME ON MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH ME AND U WILL BE REWARDED IN YOUR HEART......

Dear,miss


Im very sorry this is happening because it is terrrible to see little kids getting punished like that i think that they don't have heart to do something like that because they don't respect humans they don't have minimum respect for themselves.I would like to see them getting treated like that working on farms getting treated the way those poor children do. what is so hard about yust doing it the fair way?I think our government if they want a peaceful world should imediatly STOP this horroble commitment.

I have just resonantly but my voice out there.
Please visit: http://www.myspace.com/humantraffickingstops

hello

i am in primary school and the grade 6's are looking at the toppic and have formed a partition nearly the whole school has sighned wich is 750 people plus the taeachers and i think it is crule because how would u like it if u were hit because u werent working hard enough or if u were just a kid and u were taken away from your families and had to work in a chocolate factory and getting wipped with bike chaines

Representative Schiff,

It has recently come to my attention that much of the chocolate sold in the U.S. is tainted by the horrific issue of slavery.

Next Sunday (3/25/07) is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of trans-Atlantic slavery and yet slavery is a bigger issue today than it was then. Around 15 million people were enslaved in the 400 years that humans were trafficked from Africa to the US and other places. Today, as I write this, some 27 million people live as slaves, throughout the world, with at least 50,000 of that 27 million living here in the U.S. Some are sex slaves, some are labor slaves, some are children who were bought to be sacrificed.

But many were bought to be put to work in the cocoa fields of West Africa and elsewhere. It is estimated that 12,000 children currently serve as slaves in the cocoa farms of Cote D'Ivoire (the Ivory Coast), a west-African country that is one of the leading producers of chocolate.

I don't know about you, but I am outraged by this and I demand more from the businesses of our great country. There must be a way for Americans to be ensured that the chocolate they buy is traffik-free. Please join with Senator Harkin and others in an effort to put an end to this gross injustice!

Thank you for your time,

Rev. Jay Matthew Barnes

This is terrible! I never knew that that this was going on! We have to stop it! I thought slavery was gone and done with, guess I was wrong. We should make shirts. "Stop chocolate slavery!"

Sent to M&M Mars:

I will refrain from buying or eating your products until such are certified Fair Trade and therefore free of the taint of slavery. One of my ancestors served in the Union Army, risking his life to end slavery in this country (11th Mich. Vol. Infantry); a small way that I can say thank you to him for doing his duty for Union and freedom is to avoid products that support that evil institution in other countries.

Sincerely,
Don Belding

Nestle's does "make the very best" -- i.e., Nestle's Crunch, my favorite...
which I will no longer buy. My work partner explained the issue of "slave free" in relation to the chocolate industry last week, starting me on a Google search that took my breath away. I'm angry.

What era do we live in, and what kind of ignorance was my own, failing to see the cost of my buying old-time, well-priced products I've purchased forever, trustingly.

I see the alternatives offered by fair trade companies, mainly organics. Now I've tasted Newman's Own, and hey, it's pretty darn good.

Get it together and do something about this. People love the chocolate we've grown up with, but not enough to tolerate the idea of human suffering to put it in our mouths.

Sincerely,

Jeanine Brown

TO HERSHEY”S - February 14, 2006

I write to tell you how disappointed I am that this year the Hershey's kisses I have always bought as Valentine's Day fillers for cups and other gifts are a sudden No-No for me.

My work partner told me about "slave-free" chocolate and explained the issue of slave and child labor in the chocolate/cocoa industry. I felt like I was living in a different era, shocked and rather repulsed.

On-line I find that Newman's Own and other organic chocolate producers offer an alternative, shunning practices the major companies tolerate among their bean growers.

I'm out of Hersher's cocoa powder and looked at a container of it in the store yesterday. I've loved that deep brown container since childhood. Now, however, I'm going to have to learn to transfer that feeling to something else. And I will, believe me. I'm mad about this, as much as disappointed.

Do something, for heaven's sake. Stop turning a blind eye to horrible goings on, the antithesis of everything our values in this country stand for.

Hoping next Valentine's Day brings news of a different kind.

Sincerely,

Jeanine Brown

Edited by author 08-30-2005 01:53 PM
Here is my message to my Representative, Randy "Duke" Cunningham and my Senators, Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein:

In 2001, the House of Representatives passed a bill proposing a federal system to certify -- and label -- qualified chocolate products as "slave free," much in the way that tuna produced under certain federal guidelines can earn "dolphin safe" labeling. As abusive child labor and slavery taint the majority of chocolate products (including those produced by M&M/Mars, Nestle, and Hershey's), these products would not qualify for this label.

Before the bill reached the Senate, the chocolate industry agreed to the Harkin-Engel Protocol. In this agreement, the chocolate industry promised to eliminate slavery in chocolate production by July 1, 2005, at which point it would qualify for the "slave free" label.

In the four years since the Protocol was signed, it seems that little actual progress was made, all that folderol about foundations and "pilot studies" notwithstanding. Subsequent statements by the chocolate industry give me little reason to believe that it is serious about cleaning up its act.

As the chocolate industry has failed, Congress must step in to allow Americans to enjoy the luxury of chocolate without worrying about whether child slaves were involved in its production. Congress should reintroduce the bill proposing the "slave free" label. Already, Transfair USA (http://www.transfairusa.org/) has created a certification process. Federal law is needed to expand this certification process to cover all chocolate products.

Thank you for your time,
Kristin Branson

Here is my response to the letter from the World Cocoa Foundation:

Dear President Guyton,

Thank you for the quick response. I am happy to hear that the WCF projects are continuing, and look forward to reading about progress made when the webpage is updated.

I still have a number of questions, however. My understanding is that the WCF was created by the chocolate industry as its response to the child labor practices in West Africa. In addition, the WCF is the research arm of the industry, as it was formerly the American Cocoa Research Institute. In a response letter from Hershey, the WCF was described as coordinating development programs on behalf of the chocolate industry. Is this correct?

While I understand that there is no quick fix to the abusive child labor problem, I do feel that, in the five years the chocolate industry has been aware of the problem, there has not been enough progress.

Your efforts have focused on improving efficiency and sustainability of cocoa growing, which I am assuming is related to the WCF's purpose when it was known as the ACRI. Certainly, this is important work. Your added efforts to educate farmers on safety and provide education opportunities to children in rural areas are encouraging, and I look forward to reading about your progress in these areas.

However, your organization has ignored what I believe is the main cause of the problem. The chocolate industry does not pay a stable or sufficient price for cocoa. The price of cocoa is set unfairly low by the industry your organization represents. As I stated in my previous email, the cocoa price is set so low that cocoa farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children work the fields instead of going to school, or if they resort to slavery or abusive child labor.

By ignoring the chocolate industry's guilt, the WCF is complicit in causing the hardships West African children and farmers endure. I urge the WCF to set its focus on what the industry can do to fix the problem, instead of placing the blame on cocoa farmers alone. While I am not an expert on this subject, I have read many articles on the problem. I am convinced that the most effective solution is that adopted by fair trade organizations:

Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their own businesses and receive a fair price for their products. This leads to higher family living standards, thriving communities and more sustainable farming practices. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of themselves - without developing dependency on foreign aid.

-- http://www.transfairusa.org/content/about/overview.php

I wager the reason the WCF has not suggested fair trade-like solutions is that this is not in the chocolate industry's financial interest. While I commend the WCF and chocolate industry's efforts to develop sustainable and efficient cocoa growing practices, I feel you must take responsibility for and address your part in the problem.

Again, thank you for your quick response, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Sincerely,
Kristin Branson

Here is the response from the World Cocoa Foundation:

Hi Kristin.

Thanks for your message. I am traveling now, so will have to send a brief message. You are exactly right that the program section of the website is out of date. We are working on that, and will hopefully we will have much more information posted in the next two-three weeks. These programs, particularly the farmer field schools are showing very promising results. We are seeing 30-50 increase in incomes of farmers who have graduated from the field schools, as a result of improved agronomic practices and marketing enhancements. Some 10,000 farmers have participated to date.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer, I share your concerns and passion for people who live in difficult situations in the developing world. These conditions are complex, and there is no quick fix. But through improved opportunities for farmers, working with host-governments, NGOs, the chocolate industry and other interested parties, things can improve. We also hope for peace and stability in a region that has seen its share of conflict in recent years.

About WCF: we are a non-profit foundation, supported by the chocolate industry. We do not set prices and are not involved with marketing chocolate product. WCF works to build partnerships with other organizations who also support economic, environmental and social improvements in the cocoa sector.

I hope you will keep in contact in the coming months as we continue to move forward.

Kind regards.

Bill Guyton

Here is my response to Hershey's form letter:

To Chairman Lenny and Hershey's Management Team,

This response letter is entirely unacceptable. Not only were none of the issues I raised in my letter addressed, but the form response letter I was sent must not have been read or updated in months. You stated, in your letter sent on August 19, 2005:

"the industry has made great progress on this challenging task and expects to meet the July 1, 2005 deadline."

As it is over a month after the deadline, I already know that you entirely failed to meet this deadline. In fact, I state my disappointment and anger about this issue in the second sentence of my email. I include my original email below, and hope that you will take the time to read it. In this email, I describe how the certification system of the Harkin-Engel protocol is an insufficient solution to the problem.

In addition, I object to your downplaying of the abusive child labor problem in West Africa. You cite the IITA survey as your evidence. Here is an excerpt from he ILO document "Hazardous Child Labour in Agriculture: Cocoa" from March, 2004, which cites only the IITA survey:

284,000 children used machetes to clear fields;
153,000 children applied pesticides without protective equipment;
Other children picked cocoa pods and sliced them open to remove the cocoa beans;
64% of children on cocoa farms were under the age of 14 and 40% of child labourers in cocoa farming were girls.

Many child labourers came from impoverished countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo. Parents often sold their children in the belief they would find work and send earnings home. However, once removed from their families, the boys were forced to work in slave-like conditions. In the Ivory Coast alone, nearly 12,000 of child labourers had no relatives in the area, suggesting they were trafficked as slaves.

Children often worked for more than 12 hours per day, beginning at 06:00 and were beaten regularly. Child labourers were less likely than other children to attend school: in the Ivory Coast, for example, one-third of school-aged children living in cocoa-producing households had never attended school and only 34% of children working on cocoa farms attended school, compared with 64% of those not working on cocoa farms.

[This document was downloaded from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standard...s/fs_cocoa_0304.pdf]

The efforts described on the World Cocoa Foundation website (which is also out of date) are also insufficient. By emphasizing public education on labor standards, you are placing the blame on farmers instead of admitting your own guilt in keeping prices low. These programs essentially serve to preserve the environment for your self-interest, or are charity efforts of limited reach and without guaranteed results.

Finally, I re-emphasize that you must take responsibility for your part in the abusive child labor problem. Your company and the chocolate industry have set the cocoa price so that farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children work the fields instead of going to school, or resort to slavery. In this way, you are personally responsible for the hardships these children and farmers endure. You are stealing the futures of children in poor countries to slightly increase your profit margin.

To make progress, you must address the root of the abusive child labor problem: the low, unstable cocoa price. I am convinced that the most effective solution is that adopted by fair trade organizations:

Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their own businesses and receive a fair price for their products. This leads to higher family living standards, thriving communities and more sustainable farming practices. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of themselves - without developing dependency on foreign aid.

-- http://www.transfairusa.org/content/about/overview.php

Only by buying fair trade chocolate and adopting fair trade policies will you win back outraged consumers like me.

Here is the response letter I received from Hershey's:

Thank you for sharing your concerns about cocoa farming practices in West Africa. The Hershey Company is committed to responsible cocoa growing and is playing an active leadership role in driving meaningful change for the millions of families that depend upon this important export crop.

As you are probably aware, West Africa is the world's leading source of cocoa, producing 70 percent of the world's supply. This cocoa is grown on over 1.5 million small family farms, many located in remote areas.

Establishing a clear picture of working practices on such a large number of farms is extremely difficult. Hershey and other industry members funded a landmark independent survey conducted in 2002 by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in cooperation with the International Labor Organization of the United Nations (ILO). The survey found that the vast majority of farmers in the region grow cocoa responsibly. No instances of slavery or forced labor were found on the more than 4,500 farms surveyed. The survey did identify several areas where change is needed, including improving access to education and safety issues involving machete use and pesticide application.

Hershey and its industry partners have moved beyond the survey to address issues affecting farm families. We, along with other industry members, are party to the "Protocol" agreement developed in partnership with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY). Along with a number of other steps, the Protocol calls for the development of standards of certification to ensure that cocoa is grown responsibly. With support from the ILO, the industry has made great progress on this challenging task and expects to meet the July 1, 2005 deadline.

Equally important, Hershey actively supports programs that are making a meaningful, sustainable difference in the lives of cocoa farming families. These programs help increase incomes, promote responsible labor practices and provide vocational education and community-building opportunities. The World Cocoa Foundation coordinates these efforts on behalf of our industry, and I encourage you to visit {http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org} for more information.






This is a long-term effort, and Hershey remains committed to improving the lives of the millions of people who depend on cocoa growing for a living and to assuring consumers that the cocoa they enjoy has been grown responsibly.

Once again, thank you for sharing your concerns.


Best regards,
The Hershey Company
Consumer Relations

To President Guyton and the World Cocoa Foundation,

I was greatly dismayed to learn about the child labor abuse and slavery tainting most chocolate products. I was further dismayed and angered by the chocolate industry's failure to eliminate the slavery as it pledged to do in the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Subsequent statements by your representatives give me little reason to believe that your company is serious about cleaning up its act.

While many parts of your website relate the WCF's awareness of the poverty and child labor issues afflicting cocoa farmers in West Africa, I feel that your policies do not sufficiently address these problems. In my opinion, installing monitoring procedures and telling farmers the international labor standards will not fix the problem. It is necessary that the chocolate industry pay a fair price for its cocoa. Cocoa farmers should be able to feed their families and send their children to school. They should be able to develop their towns and help their counties move from third-world to first-world. The chocolate industry only get away with paying these low prices because farmers in countries like Côte d'Ivoire have no bargaining power. The chocolate industry is exploiting the fact that West Africa is extremely poor and farmers have no choice but to take what you offer them.

The WCF has set the cocoa price so that cocoa farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children (and in some cases kidnapped child-slaves!), work the fields instead of going to school. In this way, you are personally responsible for the hardships these children and farmers endure. You are stealing the futures of children in poor countries to slightly increase your profit margin.

In addition, I cannot buy the argument that there is nothing more the WCF can do to help the problem. The premium price paid for fair trade cocoa is less than 10% higher than the world market price. In addition, only a tiny fraction of cocoa grown on fair trade certified co-ops is purchased at the fair trade price.

I commend the efforts you describe in the "WCF Progams" section of your webpage, and would appreciate more information on them. It is concerning, however, that this part of the website is severely out of date. I hope you have not discontinued work on these projects!

Given the current situation, I will not be able to buy products sold by any companies using slave-tainted chocolate. I will also spread the word to my friends, family, and the online community about the child labor abuse sponsored by WCF members. Perhaps if you do not care about your moral responsibility to fix this problem, you will care about the profits you will lose from those of us who cannot "stomach" abusive child labor and slavery in our chocolate.

Sincerely,
Kristin Branson

To President Bragg and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association,

I was greatly dismayed to learn about the child labor abuse and slavery tainting most chocolate products. I was further dismayed and angered by the chocolate industry's failure to eliminate the slavery as it pledged to do in the Harkin-Engel Protocol. It is also frustrating that your webpage still does not mention that you did not meet the July 1, 2005 protocol deadline, but instead still assures us that the protocol deadline will be met.

While many parts of your website relate the CMA's awareness of the poverty and child labor issues afflicting cocoa farmers in West Africa, I feel that your policies do not sufficiently address these problems. In my opinion, installing monitoring procedures and telling farmers the international labor standards will not fix the problem. It is necessary that the chocolate industry pay a fair price for its cocoa. Cocoa farmers should be able to feed their families and send their children to school. They should be able to develop their towns and help their counties move from third-world to first-world. The chocolate industry only get away with paying these low prices because farmers in countries like Côte d'Ivoire have no bargaining power. The chocolate industry is exploiting the fact that West Africa is extremely poor and farmers have no choice but to take what you offer them.

The CMA has set the cocoa price so that cocoa farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children (and in some cases kidnapped child-slaves!), work the fields instead of going to school. In this way, you are personally responsible for the hardships these children and farmers endure. You are stealing the futures of children in poor countries to slightly increase your profit margin.

In addition, I cannot buy the argument that there is nothing more the CMA can do to help the problem. The premium price paid for fair trade cocoa is less than 10% higher than the world market price. In addition, only a tiny fraction of cocoa grown on fair trade certified co-ops is purchased at the fair trade price.

I commend the efforts you describe at

http://responsiblecocoa.org/helping

and would appreciate more information on them. However, given the current situation, I will not be able to buy products sold by any companies using slave-tainted chocolate. I will also spread the word to my friends, family, and the online community about the child labor abuse sponsored by CMA members. Perhaps if you do not care about your moral responsibility to fix this problem, you will care about the profits you will lose from those of us who cannot "stomach" abusive child labor and slavery in our chocolate.

Sincerely,
Kristin Branson

To President Michaels and the M&M/Mars Management Team,

I was greatly dismayed to learn about the child labor abuse and slavery tainting your chocolate products. I was further dismayed and angered by the chocolate industry's failure to eliminate the slavery as it pledged to do in the Harkin-Engel Protocol. While your webpage:

http://www.mars.com/Policies/Mars_Policy_o...e_Cocoa_Farming.asp

relates M&M/Mars's awareness of and commitment to the child labor problem, I do not think your current policies go far enough. In my opinion, the problem is not just a lack of monitoring procedures, nor just a lack of understanding by farmers of international labor standards. In addition, I do not think it is "reasonable and acceptable for children to work safely with their parents on small, family-run farms." Certainly, it is reasonable for them to help out part-time to learn the trade, but most children of cocoa farmers are not able to attend school.

The problem is that the current price M&M/Mars pays for cocoa is unfairly low. Cocoa farmers should be able to feed their families and send their children to school. They should be able to develop their towns and help their counties move from third-world to first-world. M&M/Mars and other chocolate companies only get away with paying these low prices because farmers in countries like Côte d'Ivoire have no bargaining power. The chocolate industry is exploiting the fact that West Africa is extremely poor and farmers have no choice but to take what you offer them.

Your company and the chocolate industry have set the cocoa price so that cocoa farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children (and in some cases kidnapped child-slaves!), work the fields instead of going to school. In this way, you, the directors of M&M/Mars, are personally responsible for the hardships these children and farmers endure. You are stealing the futures of children in poor countries to slightly increase your profit margin.

In addition, I cannot buy the argument that there is nothing more M&M/Mars can do to help the problem. The premium price paid for fair trade cocoa is less than 10% higher than the world market price. In addition, only a tiny fraction of cocoa grown on fair trade certified co-ops is purchased at the fair trade price.

If M&M/Mars would make some effort to support fair trade chocolate, I would gladly buy your product. Of the major chocolate companies I have researched, M&M/Mars is the only one to discuss the child labor problem on their website. In addition, I commend your work with Winrock International, the Sustainable Tree Crops Program, and the other independent efforts you have made, and would appreciate more information on them.

However, given the current situation, I will not be able to purchase any M&M/Mars products, and will also spread the word to my friends, family, and the online community about the child labor abuse sponsored by M&M/Mars. Perhaps if you do not care about your moral responsibility as a huge, global corporation, you will care about the profits you will lose from those of us who cannot "stomach" child labor and slavery in our chocolate.

Sincerely,
Kristin Branson

To Chairman Lenny and Hershey's Management Team,

I was greatly dismayed to learn about the child labor abuse and slavery tainting your chocolate products. I was further dismayed and angered by the chocolate industry's failure to eliminate the slavery as it pledged to do in the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Subsequent statements by your representatives give me little reason to believe that your company is serious about cleaning up its act.

In my opinion, the problem is not just a lack of monitoring procedures, which you have failed to set up. The problem is that the current price your company pays for cocoa is unfairly low. Cocoa farmers should be able to feed their families and send their children to school. They should be able to develop their towns and help their counties move from third-world to first-world. Hershey's and other chocolate companies only get away with paying these low prices because farmers in countries like Côte d'Ivoire have no bargaining power. The chocolate industry is exploiting the fact that West Africa is extremely poor and farmers have no choice but to take what you offer them.

Your company and the chocolate industry have set the cocoa price so that cocoa farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children (and in some cases kidnapped child-slaves!), work the fields instead of going to school. In this way, you, the directors of Hershey's, are personally responsible for the hardships these children and farmers endure. You are stealing the futures of children in poor countries to slightly increase your profit margin.

In addition, I cannot buy the argument that there is nothing Hershey's can do to help the problem. The premium price paid for fair trade cocoa is less than 10% higher than the world market price. In addition, only a tiny fraction of cocoa grown on fair trade certified co-ops is purchased at the fair trade price.

If Hershey's would make some effort to support fair trade chocolate, I would gladly buy your product. I believe that Hershey's is most qualified to take the lead on this issue because of your unique history of social responsibility and generosity. However, given the current situation, I will not be able to purchase any Hershey's products, and will also spread the word to my friends, family, and the online community about the child labor abuse sponsored by Hershey's. Perhaps if you do not care about your moral responsibility as a huge, global corporation, you will care about the profits you will lose from those of us who cannot "stomach" child labor and slavery in our chocolate.

Sincerely,
Kristin Branson

Edited by author 08-18-2005 03:10 PM
To the Nestlé Management,

I was greatly dismayed to learn about the abusive child labor and slavery tainting your chocolate products. I was further dismayed and angered by the chocolate industry's failure to eliminate the slavery as it pledged to do in the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Subsequent statements by your representatives give me little reason to believe that your company is serious about cleaning up its act.

In my opinion, the problem is not even just a lack of monitoring procedures, which you have failed to set up. The problem is that the current price your company pays for cocoa is unfairly low. Cocoa farmers should be able to feed their families and send their children to school. They should be able to develop their towns and help their countries move from third-world to first-world. Nestlé and other chocolate companies only get away with paying these low prices because farmers in countries like Côte d'Ivoire have no bargaining power. The chocolate industry is exploiting the fact that West Africa is extremely poor and farmers have no choice but to take what you offer them. It is not, as you state on your website, that "free trade is fair."

Your company and the chocolate industry have set the cocoa price so that cocoa farmers in West Africa can scrape by only if they make their children (and in some cases kidnapped child-slaves!) work the fields instead of going to school. In this way, you, the directors of Nestlé, are personally responsible for the hardships these children and farmers endure. You are stealing the futures of children in poor countries to slightly increase your profit margin.

In addition, I cannot buy the argument that there is nothing Nestlé can do to help the problem. The premium price paid for fair trade cocoa is currently less than 10% higher than the world market price. In addition, only a tiny fraction of cocoa grown on fair trade certified co-ops is purchased at the fair trade price, so Nestlé could easily buy some fair trade cocoa.

If Nestlé would make some effort to support fair trade chocolate, I would gladly buy Nestlé products. However, given the current situation, I will not be able to purchase your chocolates, and will also spread the word to my friends, family, and the online community about the child labor abuse sponsored by Nestlé. Perhaps if you do not care about your moral responsibility as a huge, global corporation, you will care about the profits you will lose from those of us who cannot "stomach" child labor and slavery in our chocolate.

Sincerely,
Kristin Branson