Date of publication: October 31, 2008
Source: USA Today
Author: Brittney Bain
By Brittney Bain
Faith organizations and congregations around the country are promoting fair-trade chocolate for trick-or-treaters to raise consciousness about conditions and prices for cocoa farmers around the world.
"This is an example of how everybody has the ability to make some change," said Susan Burton, who works for the the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society in Washington...
The fair-trade Halloween chocolate efforts put the emphasis on the injustices of forced child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa. The fairly traded cocoa, sponsors say, is "monitored from the farmers to the store shelf," by groups like FLO International and TransFair USA. The watchdog groups monitor standards and certify producers, ensuring no child labor or forced labor was used in the cocoa production and that farmers are paid enough...