JourneyOnline
CADBURY AUSTRALIA an-nounced in late August that they have committed to making over 60% of their milk chocolate range guaranteed fairtrade by Easter next year and available through-out Australia and New Zealand.
This announcement means that one of the world’s largest chocolate companies is helping lead the cocoa industry away from child labour; particularly in West Africa where 70% of the world’s cocoa is harvested.
It also ensures West African cocoa producers receive a fair price for their crops.
Moderator Rev Bruce Johnson said this is the result the Church has been lobbying for all year.
“It was only last Easter that I tried to buy fairtrade chocolate at the supermarket and couldn’t.
“So we urged the Church to ask why and to lobby the chocolate manufacturers,” he said.
“This is a major step towards eradicating child labour in the cocoa industry. It shows that engaging in dialogue with these multi-national companies about justice is worth doing.”
The announcement follows similar moves in Ireland and the UK, where fairtrade Cadbury products are now available in supermarkets.
When Cadbury’s fairtrade Dairy Milk products hit shops in Australia and New Zealand, the combined global Fairtrade cocoa sales from Ghana will quadruple from 5000 tonnes in 2008 to 20 000 tonnes in 2010.
