What if the Mother’s Day chocolate you so gratefully received was at the expense of another mother’s child? Would you still be so excited? Let’s chat Ethically sourced chocolate…
When it comes to learning I am often the first to forget facts. However, give me a feeling and you’ll have me remembering it forever. You see, the annoying thing about learning is that once you learn something astounding or a little uncomfortable it’s kind of hard to forget it.
That’s what happened last Easter when I learnt something about chocolate that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, yet I NEEDED to know. Something about chocolate that would make me question every purchase.
I know what your thinking. Your thinking I might say “that Mother’s Day chocolate isn’t healthy. It’s probably not the most nourishing choice…”, but actually this time it’s not really about the health stuff. Well, at least not directly.
The health stuff is important of course, but there is a dark truth that stands out as SO much more important here.
What if your Mother’s day chocolate was from cacao/cocoa that was harvested by a child. A child of another mother. A child who was placed in poor working conditions or perhaps even trafficked for labour. Conditions you would never dream of placing your own child in. What if your Mother’s day chocolate, celebrating the very thing you are so proud of and that your children are so appreciative of, was also the very thing that another mother cries over because it’s there only choice for survival/food, or perhaps she doesn’t even know about the conditions her child is working in because she has no idea where her child is.
See what I mean. It’s just not something you can unlearn.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine my children being exploited or having to work long hours in the heat of the day, carrying loads bigger than their little bodies can handle and being exposed to pesticides and chemicals on a daily basis. I’ve heard outrage at children not having chilled water at school in Australia. Could you imagine?
I’ve always stood with a view that we can change the World we live in and that health is HOLISTIC. Health is more than just the food we eat. Health and nourishment is a feeling and a collaborative process with the World around us. It’s feeling confident in ourselves and confident in our choices. Confident that we are making the best choice we can with the knowledge we have today.
We can be the change we want to see. And that starts with the small actions and behaviours we make every single day.
So here’s how you can ensure your Mother’s day chocolate is enjoyed without guilt (because if you guys know me you know that guilt has no place in our food relationship).
- Look at the labels. Look for “ethically sourced chocolate”, “fair trade”, “Rainforest Alliance” and “UTZ Certified”. Whilst these labels cover different aspects of farming, they include standards that prohibit the worst.
- Choose ethically certified chocolate products.
- Educate your family and share with them your favourite brands of chocolate (hint hint).
- Organic chocolate is almost always ethically sourced.
Here’s a list of my favourite ethically sourced chocolate brands for Mother’s Day chocolate. Rest assured these are not only ethically sourced but ALSO more nutrient-dense options (of course).
- Alter Eco
- Green & Blacks
- Loving Earth (my personal favourite AND it’s a healthy, dairy free option)
- Pico
- HOME MADE (because YUM!). This is one of my favourite recipes for homemade chocolate! Just look for ethically sourced cacao, of course!
Do you have a favourite nourishing and ethically sourced chocolate brand?
WHEN WOMEN SUPPORT EACH OTHER (no matter where in the World), INCREDIBLE THINGS HAPPEN
You can read about it in more depth and detail here: https://campaign.worldvision.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Our-Guilty-Pleasure-Exploitative-Child-Labour-in-the-Chocolate-Industry-Report-Summary.pdf
The Good Chocolate Guide to Australia: http://www.emfsus.org.au/good_chocolate_guide.pdf
If you’re a busy mumma I’d love to see you in our free Facebook Group Mums helping Mums feel fabulously healthy! The mums are all beautiful, non-judgemental and have some incredible tips and tricks to share.
And of course you can check out my FREE health coaching channel where I share weekly tips and tricks to help you balance your weight without restrictive dieting!
