The U.S. ambassador to Ghana recently announced that since January, the U.S. has been importing much more cocoa than ever thanks to two new processing facilities built by ADM and Cargill, one of the top five global processors of cocoa beans. …

This means small farmers in Ghana, which along with the Ivory Coast produce about 60 percent of the world’s chocolate, will be pushed to produce more cocoa. Unless they are protected under Fair Trade contracts, rampant exploitation and slavery of workers will most likely continue. About 3.6 million West African children work on cocoa farms, many of whom make very little to no pay while under horrific conditions, according to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). This dire situation has led some to refer to cocoa produced in these regions as “blood chocolate.” According to a January report by the International Labor Rights Forum, chocolate companies like Mars and Cargill, which process 400,000 tons of cocoa each year, “have been able to control initiatives meant to eliminate forced, child and trafficked labor in West Africa’s cocoa industry.” More cocoa corporation consolidation has only further pressured farmers to keep costs low…

British companies Nestle UK and Cadbury have justly adopted Fair Tradecertification for their chocolate, and deserve our applause.