30 July 2008
CHOCOLATE CAMPAIGN SUCCESS
"Royal Verkade", a Dutch household name and subsidiary of United Biscuits, announced that they will be using 100% Fair Trade cocoa and sugar in their products from later this year. This is the first A-list chocolate producer worldwide to make the transition to Fair Trade production on a large scale.
The Chocolate Campaign encourages chocolate manufacturers to include a symbol on their chocolate wrappers confirming that the cocoa beans used in the manufacturing of the chocolate have not been harvested using child labour.
It is estimated that currently more than 12,000 children have been trafficked to cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast – the source of 50% of the world’s chocolate.
In Melbourne the issue of child labour and the Chocolate Industry will shortly be discussed at a public forum organized by Vision Generation the national youth movement associated with World Vision.