Hershey Censors Its Facebook Photograph Contest

As the summer heats up, the season for s'mores is in high gear. Hershey is seeking to cash in as the chocolate bar of choice for s'mores. As part of the company's advertising efforts, it is currently hosting a "Say S'mores" summer photo contest where fans are encouraged to submit s'more-themed photos for chances to win prizes throughout the summer. There's one thing that Hershey has made clear and that is that it does not want to hear from fans who don't want child labor in their summer treats.

After the Hershey s'mores photo contest was launched, some Fair Trade supporters uploaded photographs of themselves making s'mores using Fair Trade Certified cocoa. The photographs were promptly removed by the company. I know this personally because Hershey apparently did not like my entry in the contest either and gave it the boot. The theme for this month's contest is "The S'more, The Merrier," but apparently the company does not want to hear from its customers who want to see an end to the less-than-merry abuses connected to the company's cocoa.

While Hershey committed to ending child labor and forced labor in its cocoa supply chain almost ten years ago, these abuses continue on West African cocoa farms. For example, the new Trafficking in Persons report released by the US Department of State this week says, "Boys from Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso are subjected to forced labor in Cote d’Ivoire’s agricultural sector, including on cocoa plantations." At the same time, the government of Cote d'Ivoire "has never reported a prosecution of forced labor in the cocoa sector" and "law enforcement authorities did not demonstrate adequate efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable groups, such as foreign children entering the country without their parents or working in agriculture."

As Hershey has not agreed to use cocoa that has been certified by independent, third parties to comply with international labor rights standards, concerned consumers are calling on the company to "raise the bar" for responsible cocoa sourcing by starting to use Fair Trade Certified cocoa. Fair Trade bars child labor and provides a higher price to farmers for their beans which helps to reduce reliance on vulnerable workers.

While Hershey may want to hide this reality and censor fans who "want more from their s'mores," your photographs can still be put to good use. This summer, the International Labor Rights Forum, Global Exchange and Green America are organizing a fun s'mores campaign. To participate, you can make Fair Trade s'mores in your community and collect petitions to Hershey. You can also take photographs of yourself and your friends and family with your s'mores and flyers calling on Hershey to support Fair Trade that you can download easily online here. Check out some of the photographs already collected here.

So don't let Hershey bring you down -- join in the fun! With plenty of BBQs being throughout the summer, it's a great time to participate. Fair Trade s'mores are a wonderful addition to any gathering. Don't forget to sign the petition to Hershey here and ask celebrity chefs to join you in making Fair Trade s'mores here.

Photo credit: International Labor Rights Forum (with permission)