Kids everywhere love Divine Chocolate!

At Global Exchange we love to celebrate Fair Trade all the time, but this Easter, things will get even sweeter with free chocolate!

Come by anytime Saturday April 7 through Sunday April 8 and you’ll get a free piece of Fair Trade chocolate with any purchase of $20 or more at our Global Exchange Fair Trade stores. From handmade baskets to colorful spring gifts, Global Exchange is excited to help make your Spring have a positive global impact.

For some, Easter means nibbling cute chocolate bunny rabbits, but for many others, especially in West African cocoa-exporting countries, chocolate is a terrible reminder of the harsh reality of child slave labor.

Global Exchange remains committed to supporting Fair Trade cocoa producers around the globe and generating a better world for all of us, kids and adults alike. You too can show your support this Easter by purchasing chocolate from two amazing Fair Trade chocolate vendors: Divine Chocolate and Equal Exchange.

What makes Divine Chocolate so divine and Equal Exchange equally as inspiring? The cooperatives that produce the cocoa, of course!

How Fair Trade has impacted the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana and CONACADO in the Dominican Republic:

Fatima Ali, proud member of Kuapa Kokoo. Photo courtesy of Kuaka Kokoo.

Just listen to the shouts of “papa paa!” from the farmers of Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana, a cocoa cooperative started in 1993 which now owns 45% of the Divine Chocolate company itself. “Papa paa” means “best of the best” in the Twi language of Ghana, and is a motto which extends beyond the high quality of the cocoa grown by the farmers and into the cooperative’s commitment to Fair Trade and the betterment of members’ lives.

The social premium that members receive through the cooperative’s  Fair Trade certification translates into real benefits for the community at large, such as clean water wells. Kuapa Kokoo also has a strong focus on gender empowerment, which means that women like Fatima Ali, a local Kuapa Kokoo Society recorder and proud owner of a 5-acre farm, can aspire to leadership positions they previously thought impossible.

CONACADO producer & the bright orange cacao pods that become chocolate bars. Photo courtesy of Equal Exchange.

For over 25 years the worker owned co-op Equal Exchange has been advocating “Small Farmers, Big Change”– and it’s working. In the Dominican Republic, Equal Exchange’s farmer partner cooperative CONACADO has been able to sell over 40% of their cacao on the Fair Trade market.  By participating in Fair Trade, CONACADO has been able to provide school supplies and scholarships for members’ children as well as launch the “Cacao Route,” an eco-tourism project that also generates local income.

One woman who came by the San Francisco store said the other day, “It’s so great that kids these days can eat really good chocolate!” It sure is! And not only that, when you buy Fair Trade chocolate it means that cocoa-producing farmers benefit.

TAKE ACTION!

  • Check out this awesome recipe for Chocolate Satsumas, perfect for enjoying the marvelous citrus fruits that are in season at your local farmers’ markets. Or make a delicious Earl Grey Chocolate Tea Cake for your Easter Sunday brunch–(our stores sell Fair Trade tea too!) Have a great Fair Trade chocolate recipe? Share it in the comments!
  • Don’t forget to get your free Fair Trade chocolate. Come by the San Francisco, Berkeley,  Arlington, VA or D.C. stores  on Saturday April 7 & Sunday April 8.


Cocoa tree ripe with pods

On January 30th, after years of being targeted by organized consumer Fair Trade actions including creative holiday kid’s actions, brand jamming contests, protests and rallies at flag ship Hershey store and shareholder meetings, Hershey has finally made a move!

The Raise the Bar Hershey’s campaign which has been calling on Hershey to go Fair Trade, collected over 100,000 petition signatures through Change.org and other sources, and organized petition deliveries, shareholder resolutions, and Facebook actions to blanket Hershey’s wall with messages.

Two days ago Hershey’s announced that it will make a commitment to purchasing Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa for all of its Bliss Chocolate products and it will invest $10 million dollars in education and its smart-phone CocoaLink project to teach West African farmers to be more efficient.

So what does this actually mean?  Have we won an important first step or are we being duped?

*The following sentence was updated on 3/27/2012 for clarification.

Original sentence: Hersheys’ CocoaLink, funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a project that aims to increase yields and productivity on small cocoa farms by introducing new plants, techniques and inputs to small farmers and provide them with real-time advice through a cell phone network.

Updated sentence: According to World Cocoa Foundation Communications Manager Marisa Yoneyama, “CocoaLink is possible through a public-private partnership between The Hershey Company, the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and The Ghana Cocoa Board.” In early 2009, the World Cocoa Foundation announced a new, $40 million program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 chocolate industry companies to significantly improve the livelihoods of approximately 200,000 cocoa farmers in Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria.

The (cell phone network) idea is that by increasing yields, farmers will have more income and the need for child labor will decrease.But will this work, and how would you know for sure?

Since passage of the Harkin-Engel Protocol over 10 years ago, Global Exchange’s Fair Trade program, along with the Raise the Bar Hershey’s Coalition, has been calling for a code of conduct for suppliers that would ban child labor and put measures in place to enforce such codes. Following Harkin-Engel, the whole chocolate industry committed to ending child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in their cocoa supply chains. A decade later, hundreds of thousands of children continue to labor in hazardous conditions in West Africa, particularly in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, and the US Department of Labor has noted five West African nations whose cocoa may still be tainted by forced and/or child labor.

It’s not clear how increased yields would actually eliminate the worst forms of child labor but monitoring is a good first step.  This is the first commitment that Hershey has made to using an independent, third – party certification system to ensure that its cocoa is grown sustainably, including the monitoring of forced and child labor.

This commitment is a welcome first step for Hershey to improve its supply chain accountability and shows that it is responsive to consumer pressure.

You did it!!  Your petitions, actions, questions and demands were heard!

This announcement also demonstrates that The Hershey Company acknowledges the severity of the labor abuses that taint the West African cocoa sector, where Hershey’s sources the majority of its cocoa.

So why aren’t we happier?

Well, Global Exchange has been committed to Fair Trade since its beginning in this country, and we believe that Fair Trade certification is the best way to achieve the goal of supply chain transparency, a fair price for farmers, and the elimination of forced child labor in the production of our chocolate.  There is a difference between Rain Forest Alliance Certification and something that is Fair Trade certified.

Fair Trade independent third-party certification addresses poverty, sustainability and empowerment of producers (and workers) in the world’s poorest countries through guaranteed minimum prices plus an additional social premium to be invested in community development.  Rainforest Alliance certification, also independent third-party, encompasses all aspects of sustainability as well, but does not offer guaranteed prices, relying instead on the farmers’ capacity to increase yields and efficiency and negotiate for themselves in the global marketplace. According to Rainforest Alliance’s own website:

Fairtrade labelling standards are designed to tackle poverty and empower producers in the world’s poorest countries, giving them a guaranteed price for their products. Rather than emphasizing how products are traded, Rainforest Alliance certification…focuses on how farms are managed.

Cocoa (or cacao) pods, where chocolate comes from

Increasing yields and efficiency may be a way to increase income temporarily, but without price guarantees it only means more cocoa for Hershey’s.  Relying on the market to set prices and farmers’ incomes means that when yields increase, prices will drop.   What will the efficiency and higher yields cost in terms of chemical inputs, strain on water resources and natural sustainability? Rainforest Alliance focuses on management rather than workers, on efficiency rather than justice. Hershey’s, you picked the wrong one!

Any model that is not truly sustainable, that chooses short-term gain for individual farmers over community development will not produce the conditions necessary to eliminate trafficking and forced child labor.

So is this a victory or not?

Yes, we should recognize this as a positive step forward but we can’t overstate it or we risk becoming too complacent and leaving the public confused.

Hershey’s has taken a step forward by:

  • Responding to consumer pressure and Fair Trade activism: WE have convinced the largest chocolate company in the U.S to change the way it does business!
  • Acknowledging the problem.
  • Agreeing to third party verification.

We would like Hershey to continue taking more steps. Yes, we can celebrate. And then get back to work.

 

Time for another Fair Trade Roundup…your healthy dose of Fair Trade news.

Photo Credit: JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News

USAS ANNOUNCES FACTORY SIT-IN TO PROTEST HERSHEY’S EXPLOITATION OF STUDENT GUEST WORKERS

Last week the Raise the Bar Hershey campaign urged consumers to take action on Hershey’s Facebook page to support the campaign that is calling on Hershey to go Fair Trade. As the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign explains:

Hershey is America’s favorite chocolate brand, accounting for 42.5% of the US market. Yet, inside almost every Hershey chocolate product is the bitter truth that the cocoa used to produce the chocolate may very well have been produced under harmful conditions, including forced labor, human trafficking, and abusive child labor.

Since at least 2001, the Hershey Company has been aware of the problems that exist at the start of its supply chain, yet it continues to source from this region without ensuring that labor rights abuses do not occur in the production of the cocoa it uses.

That was last week. This week there have been more labor abuse accusations made against Hershey, this one from the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). Earlier today John Fitzgerald from Penn State USAS sent the following announcement:

Today, guestworkers and local workers staged a sit-in at a Hershey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania to protest the disturbing exploitation of student guestworkers and demand living wage jobs for local workers. USAS activists will join Pennsylvania workers with a delegation to the factory soon, but right now we’re asking you to take action to support the guestworkers.

Watch the video National Guestworker Alliance’s video here:

USAS was alerted to human rights abuses of international workers in the United States. This summer, hundreds of students from around the world each paid $3,000-6,000 for what they thought was a cultural exchange program. What they were actually greeted with were chocolate packing jobs at sweatshop conditions, poverty pay, severe pain, no cultural experience, and virtually no chance to make back the money they paid for the program. All this is going on at a Hershey Chocolate factory at Hershey, PA, in Penn State’s backyard. Hershey Chocolate is exploiting international student labor instead of bringing much-needed jobs to Pennsylvanian families.

Take Action: Click here to e-mail Hershey’s CEO John Bilbrey and demand an end to the exploitation of student guestworkers, and/or call his office at 717-534-4200.

Photo Credit: Fair Trade USA

FAIR TRADE USA RELEASES NEW 2011 IMPACT REPORTS FOR COFFEE, COCOA, SUGAR AND TEA

Check out the report pdfs here:

 

WPRI TACKLES “HOW TO SPOT FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS”

WPRI Eyewitness News had an interesting segment about Fair Trade. They did their best to inform consumers about the complexities of Fair Trade product labeling. You can watch it here:

 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Photo Credit: Change.org

FACEBOOK FANS ACTIONS RESULT IN COMPANY SILENCE BY COSI

Last week Change.org called on fans of restaurant chain Cosi to tell the company that “life should be delicious” for cocoa farmers who currently live in poverty.

So for the past week Fair Trade activists filled Cosi’s Facebook Wall with posts about Fair Trade chocolate to encourage Cosi to use Fair Trade Certified cocoa for its popular tableside s’more treats.

A fan posted on Cosi’s wall, “I just went to Cosi 15 minutes ago and then found out on Facebook that this company does not take the problem of child slavery related to the chocolate trade, seriously. Please go with Fair Trade chocolate and take a stand against child slavery in the cocoa trade!”

So what was the response from Cosi?

What response?

One fan asked, “Cosi, why will you respond to all customer concerns EXCEPT those about the type of chocolate you use? I work around the corner from a Cosi and will eat there a lot less if the company isn’t willing to address this issue” and another fan posted “I would really appreciate it if Cosi could provide some kind of response to the fans who are concerned about child labor and other abuses linked to our favorite Cosi chocolate products.”

From looking at Cosi’s Facebook wall posts, it seems pretty clear that while eager to address customer service comments, requests and complaints, Cosi does not appear to be responding to any Fair Trade related comments.

Exhibit A: One hungry fan posted “why is your there no “made your own” sandwich option on your online ordering?” About 2 hours later, Cosi responded to the grammatically-challenged post with “we definitely see the importance in this and we’re working hard to add it as well as other capabilities. Thanks so much for your feedback.”

Cosi’s has been silent in response to Facebook fans’ concerns about child labor. To take action, sign the Cosi Petition “Stop Child Labor, Use Fair Trade Chocolate to Make Your S’Mores.”

FAIR TRADE PHOTO CONTEST LAST FEW DAYS TO VOTE!

This is the last week to vote for your favorite Fair Trade themed photos in the Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest. Voting only goes through Saturday, July 17th so vote today if you haven’t yet.

As a member of the Fair Trade Resource Network Board of Directors, I helped launch the first calendar a few years back, and I have to say, the photo submissions this year are some of the best yet! Seriously, you should check them out.

Voting is really easy and free. You simply put a check mark next to your 5 fave pics and enter your email address and voila, consider your votes counted.

Check out a few of the photo contest submissions:

Photo Credit: Baskets of Africa

 

Photo Credit: Alter Eco

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Julia Baumgartner of Just Coffee Cooperative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAIR TRADE TOWNS & UNIVERSITIES NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The first ever Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference is happening in Philadelphia, PA September 9-11, 2011.
The conference will bring together leaders and activists who are organizing or planning to organize a Fair Trade campaign in their town/city or university/college. Organizers, activists, faculty and students will come together to share experiences and resources, sharpen skills, and build momentum for Fair Trade.

All Town and University campaign organizers are welcome, and financial assistance is available on a first-come-first-serve basis.

To learn more about and register for the conference click here

To learn about the opportunity for financial assistance click here

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Photo Credit: Ecouterre /Brit Liggitt

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

FAIR TRADE PHOTO CONTEST IN FULL SWING: VOTING NOW OPEN

Scores of beautiful and insightful photos are now competing in the third annual Fair Trade Photo Contest. The 12 winning photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar. Vote for up to 5 Photos by July 16.
Please help share positive and diverse Fair Trade stories by encouraging your contacts to vote in the Fair Trade photo contest, and don’t forget to vote yourself!

The 12 winning Fair Trade photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar, produced by FTRN and Fair Trade Federation.

Pre-order your calendars today: The 2012 Fair Trade calendar is available for pre-purchase now. The savings are big if you order early. Check out the pre-order early bird prices here. The more you get the more you save.

HOW CAN YOU CELEBRATE FREEDOM THIS JULY 4TH?

By making S’mores with Fair Trade chocolate!

Be part of the Fair Trade S’mores revolution.

Rock your picnic, barbeque or campfire with gooey, chocolatey Fair Trade s’mores.
Why? Because you’ll send a message to Hershey that it’s gotta get child and forced labor out of its cocoa. And you’ll enjoy your s’mores so much more with chocolate that frees kids from child labor and empowers cocoa farmers to free themselves from poverty.

During your s’more-fest, be sure to:
1.    Collect signatures on this petition asking Hershey to stop using child labor and become Fair Trade Certified
2.    Count the s’mores you eat and register them online
3.    Take pictures and videos of yourself with our s’mores poster and email the youtube link or your photos to fairtrade@globalexchange.org

Visit Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Campaign page for more s’mores event ideas and free resources.

Traditional block printing meets modern design

LEARN ABOUT BLOCK PRINTING TECHNIQUE WHILE SAVING IN SF THIS WEEKEND

Introducing Summer Saturday Savings! Every Saturday this summer July 2- Sept 3, 2011, the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco will be offering 15% OFF on featured clothing, scarves, tablecloths & kitchen ware, AND much more!

Kicking things off this Saturday, July 2nd, there will be free blockprinting demonstrations, a kids’ station, and customers will enjoy 15% off all summer dresses – just in time for that Fourth of July barbeque.

Learn about the traditional block printing technique used on many Fair Trade pieces this Saturday! Plus, enter a raffle by sharing what ‘independence’ means to you for chance to win a gift certificate to the Fair Trade store.

Event Details
Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store
4018 24th Street
When: 1pm-4pm Saturday July 2nd
More info: Call (415) 648-8068

HAVE YOU WATCHED KERRY KENNEDY’S FAIR TRADE RALLY SPEECH?

Check it out here:

Help the Raise the Bar Hershey folks reach their target of 1,500 video views. They’re aiming for1,500 views. You can help by sharing this link to it on your Facebook page and/or sending out this suggested tweet: Have you watched Kerry Kennedy’s #fairtrade rally speech yet? http://ow.ly/5svir via @gxfairtrade.

Michelle Obama, fashion modeling with spunk Photo credit: ecouterre.com

 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Rally participants in front of Hershey Store in NYC Photo Credit: Diane Lent

World Day Against Child Labor was on Sunday, June 12th. Four days prior, the ‘Raise the Bar Hershey’ rally took place in front of the Hershey store in Times Square.

School children and social justice activists, along with Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Lee Cutler, Secretary Treasurer of New York State United Teachers Union, rallied to call on Hershey to eliminate forced, trafficked and child labor from its cocoa supply chain.

Kerry Kennedy speaks to the crowd

The NYDailyNews.com reported:

Students from Public School 87, Brooklyn International High School and Benedictine Academy from Elizabeth, N.J., were among the 150 demonstrators, yelling, “Hershey’s: tastes good, feels bad.” The students have been studying global issues and were there as part of a field trip.

When reached for comment, Hershey’s spokesman, Kirt Saville, did not address the company’s child labor practices, but said it has been committed for the past 50 years to improving the West African cocoa communities.

One thing is certain; Hershey lags behind its competitors when it comes to taking responsibility for the communities from which it sources cocoa.

These kids scream for Fair Trade Photo Credit: Diane Lent

The rally was a spirited success, as you can probably tell from the pictures. If you’d like to see more pics from the event, check out these Flickr pages:

Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director Adrienne Fitch-Frankel in front of Hershey

 

TAKE ACTION!

Kerry Kennedy speaking out against Hershey

TODAY is the day to ask Hershey to end child labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields!

If EACH ONE OF YOU takes just 5 minutes to take action, together, we will flood Hershey’s with thousands of calls and emails, and we will make a difference.

Please speak out in solidarity with youth, concerned consumers, human rights advocate Kerry Kennedy, and NY State United Teachers Secretary-Treasurer Lee Cutler rallying with Global Exchange and our campaign partners at the Hershey Store in NYC’s Times Square today, as part of our Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign.

TAKE ACTION:

  1. Join others and Call Hershey TODAY (details below)
  2. Sign the petition to Hershey here
  3. Share and Retweet this Post
  4. Check out rally updates and pics on Twitter:  #HersheyGoFair

Almost ten years after companies like Hershey committed to ending child labor, forced labor and trafficking in their supply chains, these abuses continue in West Africa. Hershey is currently lagging behind its competitors in using cocoa that has been certified by independent third parties to comply with international labor rights standards.  World Day Against Child Labor is this weekend, and we’re calling on Hershey to do more to stop these abuses by committing to sourcing Fair Trade cocoa.

HOW TO CALL IN:
Number to Dial: +1-800-468-1714, Option “0”
Back-up Number: 717-534-4200

Suggested Call-in Script:

“Hi, my name is ___ and I’m calling from ___. I am a huge fan of [insert your favorite HERSHEY candy here]*. I’m calling today because I want Hershey to raise the bar for responsible cocoa sourcing and commit to begin using Fair Trade Certified cocoa for my favorite chocolate. Ten years after Hershey committed to ending child labor, forced labor and trafficking in its cocoa, the abuses continue and Hershey needs to do more to end this exploitation. While I cannot be in New York City today, I support those who are rallying outside the Hershey store in Times Square. Thank you for your time!”

If you are not a fan of Hershey’s chocolate, you can leave out the sentence about your favorite candy bar and say “my family member’s favorite bar is___” or “I used to like___, but I am discouraged from eating it since it’s not Fair Trade“ or whatever reflects how you feel!

Before you call: you may want to review our consumer’s report in which we address the issues in their supply chain and how they can change them here.

For more information on the campaign, please visit www.globalexchange.org/cocoa.

Human Rights Awards Fair Trade Models Jocelyn, Rae, and Zarah

Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates:

FAIR TRADE MODELS A BIG HIT AT HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS GALA

The Ninth Annual Human Rights Awards was a great success!  The sold out event included inspirational speeches by three incredible honorees, witty banter by event emcees Ben & Jerry (in tuxedos!), and the participation of the entire Global Exchange staff, board, and community. Guests in attendance included folks from Ben & Jerry’s, Dr. Bronner’s, Fair Trade USA, Thanksgiving Coffee, and World of Good.

Check out photos from the evening!

Models donned Fair Trade outfits & accessories and “Ask Me About My Outfit” sashes or swatches. They strutted their stuff on the big stage to showcase some of the Fair Trade goodies being auctioned off during the silent auction, while guests enjoyed Fair Trade Certified Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.

All in all, the 9th annual Human Rights Awards Gala was a great time. If you weren’t able to make it, we hope to see you there next year!

“RAISE THE BAR, HERSHEY!” RALLY IN TIMES SQUARE, NYC

The “Raise the Bar, Hershey!” Campaign is planning a rally in front of the Hershey Store in Times Square happening Wed! Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Lee Cutler, Secretary Treasurer of New York State United Teachers Union, will both be there, along with school children and social justice, Fair Trade, labor rights, and faith based organization representatives. They’ll be calling on Hershey to stop child labor in its cocoa and start supporting Fair Trade.

When: Wed, June 8th 2011, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: In front of the Hershey Store in Times Square (1593 Broadway; Northwest corner of Broadway and 48th Street, Manhattan)
RSVP: On Facebook

Follow Rally Updates: Follow the hashtag #HersheyGoFair on Twitter for live tweets from folks at the rally (including us @gxfairtrade!)

More info: www.raisethebarhershey.org/rally
Read the Op-ed Why I am Marching at Hershey’s Store in Times Square by Ariana Taveras, a student in the class of 2012 at the Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth, New Jersey
Check out the post Kerry Kennedy to Join Youth in Rally to Demand That Hershey ‘Raise the Bar’ to find out more details about the rally, including who will be there.
Sign the petition telling Hershey Interim CEO John Bilbrey to Raise the Bar Hershey!

SAVE THE DATE: FAIR TRADE TOWNS & UNIVERSITIES NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The first ever Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference is happening this Fall. The conference will bring together Fair Trade campaign organizers who are promoting and advancing Fair Trade in their communities and on campuses across the country.

When: Friday-Sunday, September 9-11, 2011
Where: The Hub Conference Center, Philadelphia, PA
Registration: FREE!
More Info: www.fairtradetownsusa.org

WEBINAR: CHURCHES & COMMUNITIES ENGAGING THROUGH FAIR TRADE

Hear from pastors, theologians, Fair Trade experts and the Fair Trade Towns leadership on why and how churches are becoming powerful partners in the Fair Trade movement.
When: Tuesday, June 14 • 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Info:  Here
Register: Here

Coldplay's Chris Martin

FAIR TRADE NEWS LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

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Check back here on our Fair Trade blog for more Fair Trade News Round-Ups…your one-stop shop for current Fair Trade news and events. And if you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me!

Kerry Kennedy Photo Credit: humanrightsfirst.org

With World Day Against Child Labor right around the corner, students,  social justice leaders including Kerry Kennedy, and groups will rally in front of the Hershey Store in Times Square on June 8, 2011 to call on Hershey to eliminate forced, trafficked and child labor from its cocoa supply chain.

Despite almost ten years of commitments from Hershey and other major chocolate companies to take responsibility for their cocoa supply chains and eliminate child labor, significant problems persist. Abusive child labor, trafficking, and forced labor continue to plague the West African cocoa industry. The farmers in this region, which supplies the majority of the world’s cocoa, live in poverty, while major chocolate corporations continue to amass large profits.

Hershey lags behind its competitors when it comes to taking responsibility for the communities from which it sources cocoa. Hershey has no policies in place to purchase cocoa that has been produced without the use of labor exploitation, and the company has consistently refused to provide public information about its cocoa sources.

Will you join us in calling on Hershey to do more to stop child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in its cocoa supply chain and to start sourcing Fair Trade Certified cocoa?

RALLY IN TIMES SQUARE, NYC

When: June 8 2011, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: In front of the Hershey Store in Times Square (1593 Broadway; Northwest corner of Broadway and 48th Street, Manhattan)

Fair Trade Activist Marie Hogan

Who will be there:

  • The Raise the Bar, Hershey campaign members (Global Exchange, Green America and the International Labor Rights Forum)
  • Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
  • Lee Cutler – Secretary Treasurer of New York State United Teachers Union
  • Marie Hogan – 11 year old Global Exchange Sweet Smarts SF chapter leader, along with local NYC-based students
  • Social justice, Fair Trade, labor rights, and faith based organization

RSVP on Facebook

CAN’T MAKE IT TO THE RALLY IN NEW YORK?

Take other actions to hold major chocolate corporations accountable

Together, we can speak up for children in West Africa and demand that Hershey and the rest of the cocoa industry commit to Fair Trade Certified cocoa.

Have you heard about Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign’s upcoming rally in NYC’s Times Square happening on Wednesday June 8th?

The purpose of this rally is clear; to encourage Hershey to go Fair Trade.

You are invited to join us at this rally in front of the Hershey Store and ask Hershey to make the switch to Fair Trade.

EVENT DETAILS

When: June 8 2011, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: In front of the Hershey Store in Times Square
1593 Broadway (Northwest corner of Broadway and 48th Street, Manhattan)

Who will be there: We are reaching out to local NYC social justice groups, students, schools and faith groups that care about this issue. Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign groups (Green America, Global Exchange, International Labor Rights Forum) and our other allies will be there as well.

For up to date info about the rally visit www.raisethebarhershey.org/rally or contact info@raisethebarhershey.org.

To download the event flyer click here. (Great for printing out and sharing with others; 2 fliers per page)