The Darkside of The Chocolate Industry: Modern Day Slavery

How's that candy taste?

Photo Credit: usuncut.com

There are more slaves at this moment in time than there ever has been, at any point in human history. YES you heard that right! The Ivory Coast of Africa is home to a massive population of children who were either abducted and forced into slavery, or sold into slavery by there very own poverty stricken family members. Unnamed eyewitnesses claim it is not uncommon to see kids as young as five processing cocoa. Upon completion the product is then shipped to the U.S. Wwhich is the largest consumer in the world.

Hershey is the devil!

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania so I have always been a fan of Hersey, especially Hersey Park. But that all changed one day when this was brought to my attention one day in a 'Plants & Society' class. When I learned that the MAJORITY of chocolate including in baked goods, candy, cereal, drinks, ect was processed with slave labor I was appalled and felt like an idiot for not knowing! Hershey and other chocolate tycoons produce 70% of the worlds products that contain cocoa. That means they single handedly have the power to end human trafficing of children in the Ivory Coast.

Why won't they?

Because  of greed. The profits are just too high and no one seems to even know of this very dark aspect of the junk food industry.

Thanks for reading and next time you bite into a Milky Way, remember who provided the ingredients and how so!

Photo Credit: foreignpolicyblog.com