Horrors of Chocolate Reach Far Beyond the Dairy Industry
Happy Halloween!
See a list of ethical chocolate brands!
Per the tradition of many during this spooky season, people will be buying lots of candy, including chocolates, to give out to trick or treaters this weekend.
Consumers have many options for chocolate that are out on the market; but did you know that the chocolate industry has a lot of horrors associated with it? Much of the chocolate on the market today is all trick and no treat. This is in part because of two primary ingredients typically found in chocolate candy: dairy and cocoa beans.
Dairy has long been a concern for social justice and animal protection activists. The dairy industry has strong ties to colonialism, poor animal welfare standards, human health complications, and other complicated ties to social justice principles, including feminism and racism.
The Cocoa bean, the most crucial ingredient in chocolate candy has strong ties to the exploitation and forced labor of humans, including children.
This Halloween, please make conscious consumer choices when purchasing candy. Support local, plant-based chocolatiers that pay staff a real living wage and support equitable labor practices. Even for those consumers who are not plant-based, choosing a chocolate brand to buy that doesn’t support slavery, colonialism, habitat destruction, or participates in exploitive labor practices should still be an important step when purchasing treats this year.
NARN encourages you to explore the links above to learn more about how our chocolate choices impact humans and nonhuman animals across the planet. Together, we can make smart choices, avoiding the true horrors of Halloween.
Might we also recommend checking out this ethical chocolate list, made by our friends at the Food Empowerment Project.
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