NFS News Archive chocolate
Breaking News
What do Free2Work and Harry Potter’s Luna Lovegood Have in Common?
July 14, 2011: Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch, starring as Luna Lovegood, recently joined the “Not in Harry’s Name” campaign, urging Warner Brothers to improve the sourcing practices of Harry Potter Chocolate. The campaign, a collaboration of the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) and International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), references the “F” rating assigned by Free2Work and calls on Warner Brothers to make all Harry Potter Chocolate Fair Trade in an effort to stop child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in the cocoa industry.
Take Action in Observance of World Day Against Child Labor!
June 12th is World Day against Child Labor
and the International Labor Organization (ILO) has declared “hazardous child labor” as this year’s theme.
The ILO has reported that an estimated 115 million children around the world are engaged in strenuous work, depriving them of an education, health, and basic rights. More than half of these boys and girls are exposed to hazardous work environments, and are vulnerable to the worst forms of exploitation such as slavery, forced prostitution, drug trafficking, and involvement in armed conflict. This day is intended to highlight these issues and help expand the growing worldwide movement against child labor.
What’s in Your Easter Basket?
San Francisco, CA (April 21, 2011): This Easter, demand for retail items like Easter candy is expected to return to pre-recession levels. The Nielsen Company, a consumer research group, estimates that in the United States alone nearly 120 million pounds, or $500 million worth of candy, will be purchased in the week leading up to Easter.
TIP Press | Ethical Valentine’s Day
The greatest tragedy this Valentine’s Day may not be lacking a significant other. What if those beautiful roses from your loved one were picked by exploited workers in Ecuador? Would that diamond ring appear as brilliant if it were tainted by a bloody conflict in Rwanda? Does chocolate produced using child labor taste as sweet?
Americans who collectively spend $14 billion buying flowers, jewelry, and candy on Valentine’s Day, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, should ensure that their gifts are not bought at an intolerable cost to those who produce them.
Providing consumers with this recourse was precisely what Not For Sale (NFS), a San Francisco based non-profit committed to fighting global slavery, had in mind when creating Free2Work.
“As consumers, it is our responsibility to know which companies will not tolerate slave labor in their supply chain,” claims David Batstone, co-founder of NFS.
The NEW NFS Chocolate Campaign
Have you seen The Dark Side of Chocolate? Host a chocolate campaign with screening of the powerful film that will take you into the cocoa plantations of Africa for a closer look at how your favorite candy is made. Join in the campaign to Raise the Bar in the cocoa industry and stand against slave labor in our supply chains!
This Halloween | Give Chocolate Back!
Fall is Fast Approaching . . . On October 31, 2010, families across the US and Canada will unite to help: *END forced labor in the cocoa industry *ERADICATE poverty among cocoa farmers * PROMOTE Fair Trade * CHANGE Consumer Habits… …by giving Fair Trade chocolate back to adults as they Trick-or-Treat in their communities this Halloween. What is Reverse Trick-or-Treating? Children (+ high school/college [...]
Bringing FREEDOM to the Chocolate Industry | Tim Costello
JOIN TIM COSTELLO & OTHER GLOBAL LEADERS DESIGNING A SLAVE-FREE FUTURE Coming all the way from down under… Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia, will be a speaker at the 2010 Global Forum on Human Trafficking | October 14-15! Tim Costello continues to be an exemplary leader in the 21st century Abolitionist movement. WATCH this special report [...]
We’re all complicit in the slave trade
I am currently on a speaking tour of Australia. The hectic schedule, an average of four speaking engagements a day, has kept me busy. I have, however, been delighted by the response of the many people I’ve meet along the way. More postings about my journey are sure to come. In addition to speaking I [...]
Creative Abolitionist: Jail Me, I Ate Slave-Produced Chocolate
Teun van de Keuken, 35, is seeking a jail sentence to raise consumer awareness and force the cocoa and chocolate industry to take tougher measures to stamp out child labour. “If I am found guilty of this crime, any chocolate consumer can be prosecuted after that. I hope that people would stop buying chocolate and [...]
