ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Canadian author Carol Off has written a book aptly titled 'Bitter Chocolate'. Her book lifts the lid on the use of child slavery in the cocoa plantations of West Africa.

According to Off, "we have chocolate bars today that seem to be cheap and affordable even to a child...but the truth of the matter is we can only afford this chocolate because it is children picking and cultivating the beans in West Africa."

Most of the cocoa bean is produced by the Ivory Coast. This country is torn by civil war and the government uses profits from the cocoa trade to fund the war. There are only a handful of multnationals that control the industry and basically they are able to operate with impunity in Africa and the Ivory Coast.

The book is a good eye opener to the rorts of the multinationals and leaves a bitter sweet taste in your mouth.

So, next time when you are deciding between Cadbury's or Rowntrees chocolates...Don't! Purchase organic Fairtrade chocolate instead.