Fair Trade Chocolate Activists Upload Protest Photos On Hershey's Facebook Page

Today is National S'mores Day and Hershey's Chocolate is encouraging families to participate in the "Say S'mores" photo contest. However, as part of the Raise the Bar campaign, fair trade chocolate activists are also participating in the contest, but instead of uploading s'mores-themed photos, they are uploading signs calling attention to Hershey's labor practices.

The Raise the Bar campaign claims that Hershey's refuses to identify its cocoa suppliers and that it sources much of its coca from West Africa, a region "plagued by forced labor, human trafficking and abusive child labor." The campaign against Hershey's has been ongoing; earlier this summer activists placed consumer alerts in grocery stores.

As of this writing, there are about a dozen activists photos very prominent and front-loaded on the page. As one clicks through the photo albums, there are several hundred fan photos.

A phone call to Hershey's was not immediately returned.

See some of the protest photos below.

Comments

[hoaglandterry]

04:16 PM on 08/23/2011

When American students go to other countrys I'm curious at what kind of work they do an how much they are paid.

[joan8286]

01:41 PM on 08/19/2011

Good for them to protest so publicly as it is only the tip of an iceburg the State Department has shabby control over. All these Visa people poorly tracked in SEVIS have little govt protection as the program allows the sponsor (whoever that may be) have control of reporting to SEVIS very little info. SEVIS needs a big push from Congress (lol) to collect employer data. Let's see, the employer does not pay medicare, soc security taxes, health care costs, etc . As usual, the Business always does the right thing without oversight. Last I read Hershey was NOT their sponsor, so gee, not really their problem. J1 Visa's guarantee no minimum wage, so you can bet the people who can't earn enough to live in US are frequenting shelters and food programs and charity, or adding to their income How ?

[rainjustice]

06:54 PM on 08/17/2011

The only thing that tastes better than chocolate, is Justice!

As a family of lifelong chocoholics and Hershey's customers, we are shocked and appalled to find Hershey exploiting and abusing their workers. No matter the, "pain" involved, we will no longer purchase ANY Hersheys products. None. And will never again, until Hersheys, finally, produces justice for its workers! RainJustice!

We stand with the hundreds of student guestworkers from around the world, American workers, and labor leaders sitting in at the Hershey's Chocolate Company packing plant in Pennsylvania.

These students paid $3,000-$6,000 each to come to the U.S. this summer for what they thought would be a cultural exchange program. Instead, they found themselves packing chocolates at the Hershey's plant in deeply exploitative conditions.

The student guestworkers aren’t the only ones who have suffered. If Hershey hadn't chosen to subcontract to have its chocolates packed by exploitable guestworkers, 400 workers in Central Pennsylvania could have had a living wage and union jobs.

We demand that you immediately end the exploitation of student workers at the Hershey's plant, return the money that the student workers paid for a cultural exchange, and make these living wage jobs for local Pennsylvania workers.

[RodneyNorth]

09:37 AM on 08/12/2011

For those looking for some of the Fair Trade chocolate recommended by these protestors go to http://shop.equalexchange.com/category.aspx?categoryID=21 (It's all organic, too, + there are 10 different types to choose from).

And Canadian readers can find great organic, Fair Trade chocolate from Camino (see http://www.lasiembra.com/camino/en/chocolate-bars ) Many Loblaws stores stock 'em.

By the way - both Equal Exchange and Camino* are worker co-operatives - so these bars are good for both the farmers and the North American workers, as well as being free of child slave labor.

Rodney North
worker-owner
Equal Exchange

(*"Camino" is the brand, "La Siembra" is the actual name of the business)

[sabelmouse]

07:59 AM on 08/11/2011

it's not just hersheys. it's all of them and nestle is probably worst.

[xstevejx]

11:56 PM on 08/10/2011

But that's the "free market"...what the USA should be aspiring to (according to Bachmann, the Pauls, etc.).

[progressivegreg]

03:57 PM on 08/10/2011

Those youngsters working as slaves in West Africa should learn to pull themselves up by their bootstraps! After all, it's the (modern) American Way!!!!!

[crom14]

03:18 PM on 08/10/2011

IT IS ABOUT TIME! WAKE UP TO CHILDREN BEING ABUSED.

[Sue Bryant]

01:56 PM on 08/10/2011

Hershey's chocolate is not good.

[xstevejx]

11:59 PM on 08/10/2011

It's arguably good...but not GREAT.

[veldtron]

12:22 AM on 08/12/2011

Decent at most, they have been cutting the quality over the years.

[ConnieDr]

11:00 AM on 08/10/2011

I'd rather have my Reeces Peanut Butter Cups made in America not mexico! I stopped eating my favorite candy when they moved the production to mexico!

[tichereric]

12:41 PM on 08/10/2011

Globalization isn't such a bad thing. I'm sure the factories in Mexico are helping quite a few families to live a better quality of life.

Hey, it beats working in the cocao fields.

[Bloofer Lady]

01:14 PM on 08/10/2011

It takes away jobs from this country.