What Is Slave Free Chocolate and What Does the Website Aim to Do?

Updated

Slave Free Chocolate (slavefreechocolate.org) is an advocacy and information site focused on ending child slavery in the cocoa industry. Its stated mission is to "eradicate child slavery in the cocoa industry," and it does this by documenting the scale of the problem, naming companies that have acknowledged responsibility, publishing an "Ethical List" of chocolate companies it considers slave-free, and promoting awareness campaigns such as Reverse Trick or Treating. If you want to understand the cocoa child-labor issue or find chocolate brands the site endorses, this is the resource it provides.

What problem the site addresses

The site frames the issue around a specific, documented gap between corporate promises and results:

  • The U.S. Department of Labor announced in December 2020 that 1.6 million children were working illegally, with a percentage trafficked and held as slaves.
  • Candy companies — including Mars, Nestlé, Hershey, Cargill, Cadbury, Mondelēz, and Barry Callebaut — "have admitted accountability and promised to remedy this situation."
  • The site notes that 20 years have passed since that agreement, yet the number of exploited children has only increased.
  • It also links the poverty of cocoa farmers to deforestation of sensitive national forests, and points out the candy industry is worth US $100 billion.

The site's position is that companies profiting from this labor should fix it, starting by paying substantially more for cocoa beans — its reasoning being that a farmer making under $2.00 cannot afford to hire adult labor.

What content and resources it offers

Resource What it is
Ethical List Chocolate companies the site identifies as going "the extra mile" on slave-free sourcing
Recorded events A recorded version of an event is available via a link on the page
News and legal updates Coverage of developments such as the Cargill lawsuit
Reverse Trick or Treating An awareness campaign where a small note is attached to each piece of candy given out
Video content A comedic "buy-on-point" video by Torry Hermann (IG @torryhermann)

The Cargill lawsuit example

The site highlights a December 20, 2023 development: a case brought against Cargill in Washington D.C. Superior Court alleging exploitative child labor on cocoa farms in Ghana. A CBS News investigation referenced by the site found children as young as 5 apparently working in the cocoa industry. The page links to an NPR story featuring Terry Collingsworth of International Rights Advocates, who brought the case on behalf of child plaintiffs in Ghana.

How to use the site

  1. Read the overview on the homepage to understand the scale and the companies named.
  2. Open the Ethical List (via the "CLICK HERE for LIST" link) if your goal is to choose chocolate brands the site endorses.
  3. Watch the recorded event if you want a fuller presentation of the issue.
  4. Follow the news links (NPR, CBS) for primary reporting on legal and investigative developments.
  5. Take part in Reverse Trick or Treating if you want a low-effort way to spread awareness — attach a short note to candy you hand out.

What to keep in mind

  • The site is an advocacy platform, not a neutral directory. Its Ethical List reflects its own criteria and judgment.
  • Company admissions and the 1.6 million figure are presented as the site reports them; for current data, check the linked primary sources (U.S. Department of Labor, NPR, CBS).
  • The page does not state pricing, membership, or login requirements for any of its resources.