Break Me Off a Piece of That Slave-Free Bar!

Following in the footsteps of Cadbury and Mars, Nestle UK has agreed today to make its famous (and delicious) Kit Kat bar Fair Trade. Their decision is a huge victory for the Ivory Coast cocoa farmers, who will begin receiving a fair wage for their work in January 2010, and the anti-trafficking organization Stop the Traffik, which pushed Nestle to make the change. But the victory is bittersweet for those of us across the pond, as the Kit Kat bars available in the U.S. will still be made with cocoa produced by children, exploited workers, and slaves. So why do the Brits get all the slave-free chocolate?

Consumers in the UK can now find Fair Trade chocolate with ease, since three of the largest manufacturers provide Fair Trade options. But in the U.S., we're stuck scouring specialty stores or trolling online for our Fair Trade bars. What's gives? There are a lot of little reasons the Brits get better options in chocolate and one big one. The little reasons involve a lot of confusing and boring economic terminology about tariffs and the import standards for the EU and NAFTA. But none of that matters in the face of the biggest reason: us. American chocolate companies don't think Americans want Fair Trade chocolate.

Or, they at least don't think we want it enough to pay a few pennies more for an ethically-sourced candy bar. In the UK, consumption of Fair Trade goods increased by over 200 million GBP last year. This huge increase in consumer demand is a powerful statement to chocolate companies that Fair Trade chocolate will sell, and that people will choose Fair Trade over comparable chocolate that exploits workers. The U.S. has seen moderate increases in Fair Trade goods consumption, but nowhere near the rate of the UK. In other words, American consumers are not demanding Fair Trade chocolate, so American chocolate companies aren't supplying it.

So how can we benefit from the Fair Trade Kit Kat? Education is the first step to changing the system. For some people, simply knowing the prolific abuses in the cocoa industry and the availability of a better option which protects workers will be enough for them to change their behavior, even if it means extra work and money. But most people are apt to pick up a candy bar at the grocery store or in an office vending machine and will be reluctant to drive to a special store to get Fair Trade chocolate. So the second step is to make Fair Trade chocolate as easily available in grocery stores as slave-tainted chocolate. And to do that, we need you.

We need you to start buying Fair Trade chocolate and show Nestle, Hershey, and all the other U.S. chocolate manufacturers that you as a consumer demand a slave-free option for your sweets. Planning holiday baking for family and friends? Plan ahead, and buy Divine Chocolate from an online or in-person vendor near you. Have a choco-holic friend? Turn her onto Fair Trade chocolate with a gift basket.  Bring Fair Trade chocolate treats to an office party and mark them as such. There are so many ways you can do your part by choosing Fair Trade chocolate and showing chocolate companies in the U.S. that you want a Fair Trade option.

If you live in the UK, I hope you enjoy celebrating this change with a krispity, krunchity slave-free Kit Kat. Across the pond, we'll still be waiting to join you, someday, when we too have the option of enjoying widely-available Fair Trade chocolate. But until then, Nestle, if you think this move represents a true commitment to Fair Trade cocoa ... gimme a break!

Photo credit: neat1325