As Valentine's Approaches, Major Retailers Rated on Whether Chocolate Products Address Child Labor, Deforestation and Fair Trade

Image: chocolate bar. Title: As Valentine's Approaches, Major Retailers Rated on Whether Chocolate Products Address Child Labor, Deforestation and Fair Trade
New Retailer Scorecard Rates Grocery Stores on Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Cocoa Supply Chain.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 8, 2020 – Green America released a chocolate scorecard for retailers ahead of Valentine’s Day, rating top US grocery stores and pharmacies on how well their product offerings address child labor conditions and sustainability, which are major problems in the chocolate industry. Aldi, Food Lion and Kroger received the best grades, while Trader’s Joe and CVS got the lowest marks.

“For decades the chocolate industry, including retailers, has known about child labor in chocolate production, but we are still seeing major retailers, like Trader Joe’s, doing relatively little to address this issue,” said Charlotte Tate, manager, Labor Justice Campaigns, Green America. “Complex problems like child labor and deforestation need holistic solutions, and if retailers do not prioritize human and environmental rights, those needed holistic solutions will remain out of reach.”

Aldi, Food Lion and Kroger were the top-ranking retailers on the Scorecard for addressing child labor, poverty and deforestation. Walmart, Whole Foods, Safeway, Target, Costco and Walgreens received middle scores. Trader’s Joe and CVS were the worst-ranking retailers. See the detailed chart here.

It is estimated that retailers take more than 40 percent of the profits from the annual billions of dollars in chocolate sales in the US, while cocoa farmers in West Africa, where 60 percent of the world’s cocoa is produced, earn around a dollar a day. The US Department of Labor estimates that two million children in West Africa are engaged in hazardous work in cocoa fields.

“Retailers control what chocolate brands the public sees and eventually buys, and they should take a leading role in promoting products that benefit cocoa farmers and the environment,” said Todd Larsen, executive co-director, Consumer and Corporate Engagement, Green America. “The unfair division of chocolate profits must change. Farmers must be paid fairly, or we have no hope of ending child labor in the cocoa industry.”

While solving the child labor problem in cocoa and addressing deforestation involves working with the entire supply chain, paying farmers a living wage is a necessary part of the solution, and retailers can play a major role by selling chocolate with higher labor and environmental standards. If retailers and chocolate companies remain unwilling to ensure farmers are paid fairly, then poverty, child labor and deforestation will continue to grow.

The new Chocolate Retailer Scorecard is a tool that allows consumers to make more informed choices about where they shop for their chocolate. In addition, annually, Green America maintains a scorecard that examines the chocolate brands’ efforts to address child labor in their chocolate supply chain.

About Green America

Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today’s social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org

Media Contact: Max Karlin for Green America, (703) 276-3255, or mkarlin@hastingsgroup.com.