The chocolate industry
Read the excerpt from the report about the small Norwegian chocolate manufacturer “Bean to Bar” together in class. After you have read the text, students should underline a sentence that made an impression on them. Then everyone should say which sentence they chose, and if they want to say a few words about why.
“The BEAN TO BAR and craft chocolate movements haven’t just flourished because we want more delicious chocolate. The hard facts of the chocolate industry are hard to swallow; child labor, human trafficking, low wages, poor working conditions, toxic pesticides, and deforestation of rainforests characterize the industry and rather give it an aftertaste.
West Africa produces about 70 percent of the world’s cocoa beans, with Ghana and Ivory Coast dominating. These countries also reported 2,120,000 children working on cocoa plantations in the 2013/14 season. 96 percent of the cases were categorized as hazardous work, according to a 2015 report by Tulane University. Despite efforts by both industry and organizations to reduce child labor, the number of child laborers has increased as more cocoa plantations have been established to meet the demand for cocoa. The report also found that children exposed to toxic pesticides had increased by 44 percent.
AS THE global demand for chocolate increases, “dirty cocoa beans” from deforested national parks have become part of major supply chains, The Guardian wrote in a report from Ivory Coast last year. The rainforest that once covered 25 percent of the country now covers four percent. Cocoa farmers are under pressure from the industry, which is asking for larger deliveries. Farmers told the English newspaper that cocoa beans grow best on deforested land. The cocoa and chocolate industry consists of so many links that the cocoa is ultimately not traceable beyond the areas. The Guardian writes that Mondelez, owner of Freia, is one of the dealers in cocoa beans grown illegally in deforested rainforest. The Norwegian branch of Mondelez was unable to give a direct answer to this, but says that they have invested large resources in their cocoa supply chain, through their Cocoa Life program, and sustainability in all links is very important.”
(Excerpt from report about “Bean to Bar” in REN MAT magazine, from 2019)
Sub-topics:
– Working conditions
– Nature conservation
– Production chain and consumer responsibility
Suggested sources:
Fair Trade Norway's info page about cocoa beans: https://www.fairtrade.no/finn-produkter/produktkategorier/kakao.html
Freia's sustainability initiative mentioned in the report: https://www.freia.no/om-freia/baerekraft
Reuters case from 2019 about Ivory Coast not keeping agreement on deforestation: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-cocoa-ivorycoast-deforestation-idUSKBN2AJ0T6
Mighty Forest, an advocacy organization for climate and environmental issues: https://www.mightyearth.org/