Trick-or-treat without slave-candy this Halloween

Source: Read This and Hack! A decade ago I screened the documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate, which marked what I call my "official" entry into intentional activism and scholarship for social justice. The documentary was a follow up to the chocolate industry's fight against a "slave free" label requirement, promising instead to regulate itself...

Food Justice: Because “Food is Power”

Water privatization, overgrazing, pesticides, food security. These are clearly issues of sustainability with regards to our food systems. Yet, the term "sustainability" doesn't quite adequately address related issues of labor rights, food access, and environmental racism that are also part of the path that our food takes to get to our plate. This is where...

Don’t give the gift of slavery this Valentine’s Day

The issue of slavery in cocoa production has gained lots of awareness in recent years, but some people are still are not aware (or don't care) that children and slaves in West Africa are forced to harvest and process cocoa. You just might be giving your loved one a gift of slavery. Below are a...

Fair Trade Certified Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

I know Fair Trade USA is kind of suspect, but I thought their gift guide might still be useful for folks looking for last-minute Valenine's Day gifts and somewhat new to the concept of ethical goods. Take a look at it to learn where you can find ethically-sourced roses, chocolate, wine, and clothing, among other...

Hershey’s, West African child labor, and the promise of Brazil’s ‘cabruca’ system

This barrage of chocolate-related posts is me capitalizing on the increased traffic I'm getting because of Valentine's Day searches. By Tuesday of next week, Crunchy & Chic will go back to it's regularly scheduled programming. In the meantime, enjoy this post from the San Antonio Current: Valentine's Day is the chocolate industry's holiday season. With an...

Valentine’s Day should be about love, not slavery

Not that many people know about the child labor and human trafficking that's involved in chocolate production, or they wouldn't dare give a box of chocolate as a gift for Valentine's Day. Seems like my last post has garnered a few hits, but I didn't explain what slave-free chocolate was, only where you could find it....