Cacao and chocolate

You can find it everywhere, in your candy, in your food and even in your medicine. Cacao and chocolate is appreciated all over the world and associates often with chocolate bars and chocolate drinks. It has been used for ages and it´s one of the most popular flavors in the world. But cacao and chocolate has a dark side. Workers has to work under bad circumstances and their wages are often lower than the production costs, which leads to reduced standard of living and child labor.

Since the middle of the 20th century, cacao and chocolate have become more and more appreciated all over the world and is now one of Western Africa´s biggest export income. Countries like Ghana and the Ivory Coast is now one of the most important exporting country of cacao in the world. Other important countries are Brazil, Malaysia and Nigeria. For many countries, and especially developing countries, the cacao industry has become a huge importance for the national economy with around 14 million workers all over the world. In some countries, the cacao industry is around 40 percent of the total export income. But the workers will only share a small piece of the profit. Low prices, bad trading conditions and child labor During the latest decades the cacao prices has dropped down a lot, which leads to bad circumstances and low wages for the growers. Their standard of living reduces and their wages are often lower than the production costs. This also leads to child labor, which has increased during the last decade. New studies show that over hundred thousands of children work daily in a rough working environment to supply their family. Just like in the coffee industry, the growers have huge difficulties to make contacts and compete with other cacao growers. That leads to bad trading systems where they cooperate with intermediaries who often take a big piece of the total income.

Fair trade impact

One of the first products fair trade ever was involved in is actually cacao and chocolate. The first organisation for cacao products was founded in 1993 in Holland. The idea was to prevent the growers rough economy and social situation. Fair trade gave the growers opportunities to affect their own working situation by trading and business. They now give the growers and the workers in developing countries improved economy terms to improve the quality of the product and improve the efficiency of the production with an account for the environment. They also give the growers a better economy with an increased minimum wage and premium rates. Since the start in 1993 fair trade they now have about 20 certified organisations for cacao in Africa and Latin America. In Peru they have the biggest one, because of the big production of cacao.