Celebrate National S'mores Day by Fighting Child Labor on Hershey's Facebook Wall

by Tim Newman · 2011-08-10 07:32:00 UTC
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It's National S'mores Day! Yes, you are forgiven if you haven't been counting down to this obscure holiday for months. Clearly, this manufactured holiday mainly exists to drive consumers to the candy aisle, but it's still a great time to celebrate this favorite summer treat. Wouldn't your s'mores taste better if they were made using chocolate that didn't exploit children and workers who harvest cocoa? You can take action in just a few minutes to tell Hershey that you want more from your s'mores.

Earlier in the summer, Hershey launched a s'mores photo contest on its Facebook page that will culminate today. However, as we reported last month, the company censored contest submissions that asked Hershey to stop child labor, forced labor and trafficking in its chocolate s'mores. While Hershey committed to ending these abuses in its chocolate ten years ago, the company is lagging behind its competitors in using cocoa that has been independently certified to comply with international labor rights standards. That is why the Raise the Bar Hershey campaign has been organizing a summer action called "We Want More from our S'mores" throughout the summer to call on Hershey to "raise the bar" for responsible cocoa sourcing.

As part of the campaign, you can take action on Facebook today to support an end to abusive conditions in the chocolate industry. Here is what you do:

  1. Download a campaign flyer here and take your photograph holding the flyer: You can print out one of the PDF flyers or make your own sign calling on Hershey to stop child labor and support Fair Trade for your photograph. You can even take your photo using your mobile phone or laptop. You can check out some examples of other photos here.

  2. Upload your photo to Hershey's Facebook wall: Go to Hershey's Facebook page and hit "like." Then upload your photo and include a comment supporting the campaign like: "Hershey: I want more from my s'mores! Will you raise the bar for workers and make my chocolate without child labor, forced labor and trafficking by National S'mores Day next year? http://chn.ge/fiXI0x"

It's easy! After you post your photograph, ask your friends to join you by sharing this blog post and spreading the word on Facebook. You can increase the pressure on Hershey by alerting fellow consumers in your local supermarket about this company's connection to child labor and making a video. Find out more here. Don't forget to sign the Change.org petition to Hershey here.

Finally, if you are a true s'mores lover, keep the love going by asking the restaurant chain Cosi to make its s'mores Fair Trade and invite celebrity chefs to make Fair Trade s'mores. Find even more action ideas here.

Photo credit: Linda Michalski

Tim Newman is a campaigns assistant at the International Labor Rights Forum. He also works on the Stop Firestone campaign.
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