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Dear Friend,
Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate how much we care for one another, yet many of the tasty treats given and received this holiday are infused with cruelty. Hundreds of thousands of children work in hazardous conditions on the farms from which the Hershey chocolate companypurchases its cocoa.
More than 1,100 UUSC supporters sent letters to Hershey last fall, demanding that Hershey end the use of child labor and go fair trade. They joined with 50,000 consumers nationwide as part of the “Raise the Bar, Hershey” campaign, led by UUSC’s partner organizations Green America and Global Exchange.
Hershey announced on January 30 that it will purchase Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa for its Bliss Chocolate products, starting later this year. This is the first commitment that Hershey has made to using an independent, third-party certification system to ensure that its cocoa is grown sustainably, including the monitoring of forced and child labor.
This first step to victory is sweet! It’s clear that consumer feedback can make an impact on Hershey. But the company has not yet made a full commitment to ending its use of child labor. We must continue to pressure Hershey to increase traceability and justice throughout its chocolate supply chain.
Send a message to Hershey today. Acknowledge that Hershey has taken this first step, and urge the company to ensure that all of the cocoa it uses, in all of its products, is free from child labor and worker exploitation.
With gratitude,
Kara Smith
Associate for Grassroots Mobilization
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