It’s that time of year again! It’s the first week of October -- Fair Trade Candy Buying Week. It’s a troubling task: if I wait much longer, local stories will be sold out and online purchases may not ship in time. But when I buy early, I have candy sitting around my house for three weeks. If you can handle the weeks of chocolate-covered torment in your own kitchen cupboards, I recommend stocking up! Despite decades of promises of reform from the major chocolate companies, child labor is still rampant in the chocolate industry. A June 2019 article from the Washington Post on the chocolate industry’s missed deadlines [2] said, “the odds are substantial that a chocolate bar bought in the United States is the product of child labor.” Chocolate is also implicated in deforestation [3] and poverty [4] in West Africa. Chocolate isn’t the only troublesome ingredient; sugar [5] and vanilla [6], and especially palm oil [7] -- Indonesia is burning right now [8] as rainforests are continually cleared for palm oil plantations -- have troubling stories as well. Last week, allegations surfaced that Ferrero (makers of Nutella) buys its hazelnuts from farms that use child labor [9]. But consumers can vote with their dollars. Labor and environmental concerns are largely addressed by third-party certifications like Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance -- find certified products here [10], here [11], and here [12]. How do you celebrate a socially and environmentally sustainable Halloween? Share your story on our Facebook page [13]. In the meantime, here are some reads from MCN staff.
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Amy forwarded the shocking story of a doctor reportedly murdering Puerto Ricans and getting away with it: “The Complicated Relationship Between Puerto Rico And US Mainland. [14]”
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Jess offered up a new report, “In a Statewide Disparity, More Latino Children Lack Health Insurance [15].”
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Alma shared another California-centered piece, “California Migrant Workers Complain About Wage Theft [16].”
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Claire sent an NPR segment about Eastern Equine Encephalitis, “Rare, But Potentially Deadly, Mosquito Disease Changes Life In Massachusetts [17].”
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Weekly Win: Giovanni sent around the New York Times article, “Deportations Reduce Crime? That’s Not What the Evidence Shows [18].”
Have a safe and healthy weekend.
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