Hot Cocoa

What are the ethical issues where hot drinks are concerned? I mean, it’s a fairly harmless enterprise, isn’t it? Nothing quite like a good cup of warm cocoa before hitting the sack. Or is there?
Consider the hapless cocoa farmer. On average, he will earn just £50 per year from cocoa. £50 a year! Cocoa farming is once again another industry subject to the whims of big industry. Cocoa has been developed in many varieties that can grow in the sun but these die off so quickly that their trees have to be treated with high doses of pesticides. Another factor to consider is the working conditions of the cocoa farmer. Chocolate and cocoa supplied from certain countries has been brought into question, particularly those originating from the Ivory Coast as the companies responsible cannot confirm whether the cocoa or chocolate was produced under conditions of slavery. Not really something you’d want to associate your bedtime drink with, is it?

One way of being able to truly go to bed with no ethical conundrums bouncing around your cranium would be to buy from Cocodirect, a fair-trade company that ethically sources its cocoa from farmers who receive a fair price for their goods and guarantees no child or forced labour.

 

Who to watch out for

You may be surprised to learn this, but Horlicks, Galaxy and Maltesers are to be avoided on ethical grounds. Not because of the drink itself, but the behaviour of their parent companies. Horlicks, whilst being a traditional and old-fashioned drink, is owned by Glaxo-Smithcline, the pharmaceutical giant which is being boycotted by all right-thinking people for its attempts to block cheaper versions of its anti-AIDS drug in third world countries, its involvement in animal testing and for its political ties to the Republican party in the US. Glaxo-Smithcline was also ruled to have misled consumers over its claim of a sugar-free Ribena which actually contained sugar!

Mars, which produces both Galaxy and Maltesers, is being called into question over its involvement in animal testing for its petfood division.

Cadbury’s has also been rebuked over its questionable marketing strategies which have included a campaign purported to encourage children to participate in sporting activities. The idea was for them to buy chocolate bars in order to get ‘free’ sporting equipment for their schools. The only trouble with that was that in order to receive a ‘free’ basketball, 170 chocolate bar wrappers (representing 3kg of fat and 38,000 calories) would have had to have been produced, not the most economical or healthy way to build up a sports department for your impoverished local comprehensive.

One Response to “Hot Cocoa”

  1. green says:
    June 23, 2010 at 5:45 pm

    Funny, I was thinking along the same lines. Adam

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