Fair Trade Matters: Hunting for Ethical Easter Eggs

At every chocolate-oriented holiday, I become a devout shopper. I love Valentine's Day, Easter, even Christmas baking, since they all provide an excuse to bring more chocolate into my home. And no, I don't mean the good-for-you 90% cocoa bars that provide the implicit promise of good health and renewed vigor. No, I mean the delicious milk chocolate bars that are full of sugar and fat and make my life complete.

I am also devoted to fair trade chocolate. While I am not a completely ethical consumer, I do try to purchase certain items that are certified fair trade. These include chocolate, bananas, and coffee. Why do I choose fair trade? In the case of chocolate, I want to ensure that the money that leads to delight does not cause other people pain. I want to make sure that the cocoa beans that make my chocolate are not grown by children who are beaten into laboring for up to 18 hours a day, misled into farming on cocoa plantations and seduced by the lure of potential education and good pay. I wouldn't want my child to be hurt for my chocolate. I don't want anyone's child to be hurt so that I can have this lovely little pleasure.

But I have a child, and I live in North America. And this North American child knows that on certain days of the year, chocolate appears. Generally this chocolate comes in a specific form: hearts for Valentine's Day, eggs for Easter, little chocolate bars for Halloween, and advent calendars for Christmas.

Every year I find a gap. I want to celebrate holidays with chocolate, but I want to do it ethically. Where is the fair trade Valentine's Day heart? Where are the fair trade Easter eggs? The holiday trappings of North American middle class society aren't designed for those who want to have fun with their kids and buy ethically into the bargain.

It's a rich dilemma to have. I have the luxury of deciding whether to spend my money on an inexpensive treat that may support slavery or to spend my money on a more expensive, ethical choice, if I can manage to find it. I have the luxury of participating in this culture that celebrates nearly every imaginable holiday with more chocolate, much of it fueled by a silent slave trade.

What is my wish, on this holiday and every other? I wish that on every holiday that caters to love, to family, and to children, there was a strong and visible push for fair trade chocolate. I want those who buy chocolate and delight in seasonal celebrations to think about the hopes and lives and delights of children everywhere, especially those who live and work on the cocoa plantations.