Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production

the best FAIRTRADE chocolate on the british high street

Whether you’re a chocolate addict or an occasional indulger, choosing Fairtrade chocolate ensures that cocoa farmers are getting their fair share

By leanne walstow
7 february 2022

It's no secret that we can't get enough of the sweet stuff - in Britain we eat roughly 660,900 tonnes of chocolate every year. Whilst roughly 70% of cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, cocoa farming is still a huge industry in Brazil and Ecuador. Because of the developing nature of these source countries, chocolate is a food that carries with it a high risk of slavery and exploitation occurring somewhere along the supply chain. That’s why eating Fairtrade certified chocolate is so important, and why it can literally save the lives of those who grow it.

The average cocoa farmer in the Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, earns the equivalent of just 75p a day, with 58% living below the poverty line. 75p is not enough to support a good lifestyle for an individual, let alone a family. Fairtrade has been working for years to help farmers earn a living by pushing up the minimum prices for cocoa beans that can be paid by western chocolate producers, ending the exploitation that sees these billion dollar companies keep workers trapped in a poverty cycle, guaranteeing them cheap labour for generations to come.

It’s also important to acknowledge the colonial history of chocolate. Once the European craze for the sweet treat truly took hold, cocoa plants were established that ran on slave labour. A disregard for the lives of the majority Black farmers who produce cocoa beans nowadays is rooted in racist systems of exploitation that companies still profit from today.

Something we can all do to help is make a commitment to only eat Fairtrade chocolate; using consumer power to show big producers that supply chain ethics are important. And it isn't as hard as you might think: here are some of our favourites.

Marks and Spencer

Head in store to M&S for a great range of Fairtrade chocolate. Marks and Sparks is a high street pioneer when it comes to Fairtrade, having switched all of its tea and coffee to Fairtrade back in 2006; it also stocks Fairtrade wine. Don't live near a store? You can buy online at Ocado.

Aldi

In a chocolate collaboration made in heaven, Aldi has teamed up with Tony's Chocolonely for a special range called Choceur CHOCO CHANGER. It's available in three flavours -

Malteasers

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Tony's Chocolonely

Lidl

Green and Blacks

Sweet tooth? This handy list from Fairtrade.org is has even more options.

This article was originally published in February 2021 and has since been updated.