(Justmeans.com / CSR News) - PRESS RELEASE

Third Annual Reverse Trick-or-Treating Campaign To Protest Poverty and Child Labor-Tainted Cocoa

Children & families from 47 States to distribute 200,000+ informational cards

and Equal Exchange chocolates to urge reform of the multi-billion chocolate industry.

West Bridgewater MA―October 29, 2009― For the third year in a row thousands of costumed trick-or-treaters in nearly every state across the US are turning the traditional Halloween ritual on its head by handing out Fair Trade chocolate and informational cards about persistent inequities in the cocoa trade as the go door-to-door.  Reversing the trick-or-treat model, participants will be giving out cards and Equal Exchange Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate samples to 200,000+ North American households to raise awareness of the persistent problems of poverty in cocoa-growing communities and the use of exploited child labor in the cocoa fields of countries like Cote D’Ivoire, which produces 50% of the US cocoa supply.

The Reverse Trick-or-Treat campaign is a collaborative initiative involving human rights groups, faith-based organizations, consumer advocacy groups and a small number of Fair Trade chocolate companies.  The lead advocate for the campaign is been the San Francisco-based human rights advocacy group Global Exchange with generous logistical support and chocolate donations from the Massachusetts-based Fair Trade company Equal Exchange.

Other participating organizations include: Africa Action, Amherst Fair Trade Partnership, The Fair Trade Federation, Green America, The International Labor Rights Forum, Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, Montclair Fair Trade Coalition, Oasis/Stop the Traffik, San Diego Friends of Fair Trade, The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and the United Methodist Church.  All of the participating organizations have assisted by promoting the campaign and signing up individual families, congregations, schools and other groups to help distribute the cards and chocolates.

WHY: The Reverse-Trick-or-Treating campaign aims to raise public awareness of the persistent problem of chronic poverty and even forced child labor in the global cocoa industry and how Fair Trade Certified™ cocoa and chocolate offers a viable solution that the large chocolate companies should embrace.is year’s event comes on the heels of two important developments in the cocoa industry.  First, Interpol announced in August that it identified and rescued fifty-four children from slavery in cocoa and palm fields in Cote d’Ivoire.  The children were as young as 11 years old, endured hazardous working conditions, labored 12 hours a day, and were not paid for their work.  This demonstrates that the chocolate industry has still done too little to end child slavery and trafficking in the cocoa fields, even though in 2001 the top chocolate companies committed to end these practices by 2005 as part of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.

 Subsequently over sixty national nonprofit organizations and smaller chocolate companies have jointly called upon the cocoa industry to embrace stronger cocoa sourcing standards in a statement entitled the “Commitment to Ethical Cocoa Sourcing” which can be viewed at http://www.equalexchange.coop/reverse-sign-up/CommitmentToEthicalCocoaSourcing.pdf

Second, earlier this year Cadbury became the first major chocolate brand to adopt Fair Trade certification, specifically for its best selling product, the Dairy Milk bar, in its largest market―the United Kingdom and Ireland, with planned future distribution in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  Human rights, Fair Trade, and anti-child-trafficking activists have applauded Cadbury’s decision as representing solid progress and proof that Fair Trade is a viable option for even the largest manufacturers. They are also urging the company to follow the example of forward-thinking companies like Equal Exchange and implement Fair Trade certification for its products distributed in the US.  A group of advocates have also been actively pressing Hershey’s to become the first mainstream US-based company adopt Fair Trade certification.

About Equal Exchange:
A pioneer and U.S. market leader in Fair Trade since 1986, Equal Exchange offers a wide range of high quality, organic coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, healthy snacks, and bananas. Major customers include Harvest Cooperative Markets, Roche Brothers, Whole Foods, and Hannaford, as well as City Feed, Ten Thousand Villages, other grocery retailers, restaurants, and thousands of places of worship nationwide. 100% of Equal Exchange products are fairly traded, benefiting more than 40 small farmer co-operatives in 22 countries around the world.  In keeping with its Fair Trade mission and belief in economic democracy Equal Exchange is a worker co-operative, owned and governed by its approximately 110 employees.

 To interview a participating family or to follow children during reverse-trick-or-treating, please call Rodney North, 617-571-0041

For more information, visit http://www.equalexchange.coop/reverse-sign-up/   &  www.ReverseTrickorTreating.org 

CONTACT:

Rodney North

617-571-0041

Rodney@equalexchange.coop