Chocolate with a little less guilt
If chocolate is one of your favorite guilty pleasures, you can feel a little less guilty about it if you treat yourself to the “sustainable” kind. A growing number of chocolate manufacturers are addressing important social and environmental challenges within the cocoa industry, and they’re offering a variety of new, “sustainable chocolate” products with eco-labels you can trust.
WHY IT MATTERS
Farm earnings are low. The majority of cocoa is grown by small family farmers in remote tropical regions. Because they lack market access, they often end up selling their harvest to middlemen for a fraction of its value, keeping them in a cycle of extreme poverty. The typical cocoa worker earns hardly enough to meet basic living needs.
There have been documented labor abuses. To cut costs, some farms are reportedly using forced child labor, particularly in Western Africa, where the majority of the world’s chocolate originates.
Growing practices are damaging eco-systems. To meet increasing world demand, new cocoa varieties have been introduced that grow in full sun, an arrangement that disrupts eco-systems and supports far less biodiversity than cocoa’s native shaded habitat.
Some of the most toxic pesticides are used. Cocoa plants are extremely vulnerable to pests and diseases. As a result, farmers may resort to using very toxic pesticides, including lindane, a toxic cousin of DDT, which poses health and environmental risks.
HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Choose chocolate with meaningful eco-labels. Doing so can help make a real difference in the lives of the people who grow cocoa and also benefit the environment. The following is a list of the meaningful eco-labels you can find on chocolate:
USDA Certified Organic 
What it means:
• Farmers emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality
• Crops are grown without using synthetic fertilizer or the most persistent pesticides
• Crops are produced without genetic engineering or ionizing radiation
• Crops are processed and handled separately from conventional cocoa
For a directory of organic chocolate companies, visit the Organic Consumers Association, a grassroots organic advocacy organization. Click on “organic food” and then “cookies, snacks and candy.” To learn more about what the organic label means and the different grades of organic, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.
Fair Trade Certified 
What it means:
• Farmers and workers receive a fair price for their product
• Trade is done directly between farmer-owned cooperatives and buyers
• Crops are grown using soil and water conservation measures that restrict the use of agrochemicals
For a list of Fair Trade chocolate companies, visit TransFair USA, the only U.S. fair trade certification organization. To learn more about what the Fair Trade label means, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.
Rainforest Alliance 
What it means:
• Crops are grown using integrated pest management systems that limit the use of agrochemicals
• Crops are grown using water, soil and wildlife habitat conservation measures
• Farm laborers are paid salaries and benefits equal to or greater than the legal minimum wage of their countries
To locate Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate, visit the Rainforest Alliance, an environmental advocacy and certification organization. To learn more about what the Rainforest label means, visit Eco-labels, our free labeling Web site.
RELATED LINKS:
Choiciest chocolates 2/08*
Best dark and organic chocolate 9/07*
A rose is a rose. Or not 2/07*
*full reports available to subscribers only
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