Stop the Traffik Chocolate competition
By rkhooks • Sep 3rd, 2007 • Category: Chocolate, Food, Food blog events, Other, Sweets
Everyone loves chocolate (O.K. there are a few oddbods who aren’t chocolate fans).The amount of chocolate we consume is astounding. The Swiss (at 22.36 lbs/yr per person) come tops in chocolate consumption, followed by the Austrians (20.13 lbs/yr per person)…the States are 11th with 11.64 lbs/yr per person (for more stats click here). That’s one hell of a lot of chocolate.
Recently I was made aware of the child slave labour that is involved in chocolate.
“Nearly half the world’s chocolate is made from cocoa grown in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa.
The 2000 US State Department Human Rights report said “It is estimated that some 15,000 Malian children work on Ivorian cocoa and coffee plantations. Many are under 12 years-of-age, sold into indentured servitude for $140, and work 12-hour days for $135 to $189 per year.”
The stop the traffik campaign is trying to get Chocolate companies to use a label to show they don’t support slave labour. There are more and more companies which produce ‘fairtrade’ chocolate. In the UK there’s Oxfam, fairtrade, Green & Blacks Maya Gold…more examples here. In the French supermarkets I’ve seen “le commerce equitable chocolat”. And I had a quick look on the net and in the States I found fairtrade products. If any American readers know anymore companies let me know…
So I’m calling all you chocoholics. Whip up your best chocolate recipe using slave labour free chocolate and send me your entries.
I will be sending the winner a little ‘traffik free’chocolate goodie bag.
Make sure to come back to check out the results and to vote (around about the 10th Oct.)
To participate:
- Post* your best/favourite ever chocolate recipe (using Fairtrade/slave labour free chocolate)
- Include in your post a picture of the chocolate brand you used and a little background info on the product (i.e. where you bought it, was it easy to find, the taste, what you thought of the chocolate…)
- Include a link to www.rkhooks.net and if possible use the stop the traffik logo on your site (download from here)
- Finally:
Email me rkhooks@gmail.com by October 5th Monday 8th of October with the following information:
Subject line: Stop the traffik chocolate campaign
Your name
Your blog URL
Link to your post
Name of dish
100×100 pixel photo of your dish
*If you don’t have a blog just email me @ rkhooks@gmail.com by October 5th with the following information:
Your name
Name of dish
Recipe
100×100 pixel photo of your dish
Email this author | All posts by rkhooks
Great idea! I’m in…
A great initiative Rachael. I’ll do my best to enter. I think G&B recently became available in NZ.
Count me in!
Count me in too!
Great cause, count me in too.
Brilliant! Can’t wait to see all your entries.
Great initiative Rachael! I will try to participate indeed! Thank you!
Wow, sounds like a fun event for a great cause! will try to see if I can contribute something:)
[...] of Côte d’Ivoire Jump to Comments My eye has recently been caught by R khooks’ Stop the Traffic Chocolate Competition in support of the campaign to stop the trafficking of children in the production of chocolate [...]
This campaign is a very good idea.
I will try to prepare something and post for this event.
Greetings, Margot
My I also use fair trade cocoa powder?
Fairtrade cocoa powder is perfectly fine, Ulrike. Can’t wait to see your recipe.
That’s such a great idea…count me in.
I just mailed you the informations you need. Here’s my entry:
http://ostwestwind.twoday.net/stories/4281477/
[...] so happen to live in the land of chocolat. Temptation at every corner. Every year. Then there was a certain email asking if I would like to take part in the Stop the Traffik event. Yes, please, I would very much [...]
Yes !!! that sounds like a fab idea, i work in a fairtrade and organic shop and only eat and buy fairly traded stuff ! and it tastes sooo much better too …
M x
Hey Rachel, thanks for this post. Every little helps to promote this worthy cause. We can make difference!!
The Times recently had an interesting post re Green&Blacks Fairtrade chocolates. If anybody is interested, here is the link to the article http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article2452902.ece
Also congrats on your super ‘Dahlia/Raspberry photo’
I just found you from Barbara over at Winos and Foodies. You know, I think I certainly KNEW about Fairtrade chocolate, but until I saw your post I never really THOUGHT about it before. I will definitely be looking into Fairtrade Chocolate brands in the U.S. I’ll let you know what I find. And I will certainly post a Fairtrade chocolate recipe before October 5th and send you the info on that too.
Thanks for a doing something so worthwhile. It would be kind of horrible to be enjoying something as delicious as chocolate, knowing that it was produced by child slave labor. It IS amazing that in the 21st century that still goes on.
Oh I wish we had time to partake in this … what a great cause and idea! Next time!
[...] soon as I saw R khooks event, I knew I wanted to participate. After all, I knew I would be baking anyway, just needed the [...]
My family actually sells cacao to a cooperative at home in Belize that supplies Green and Blacks Maya Gold chocolate bar. I am sorry that I missed out on this event-if you do it again please let me know!!!