Click here for Kathleen’s Chocolate story http://wp.me/pTTp9-1gU
My fellow writer, expat food aficionado and socially/politically/environmentally conscious advocate for responsible living has just written an important article. I encourage you to read it. The slave trade in Africa, a centuries old practice, endures because of the world’s love for chocolate. Kathleen Dobek writes about the chocolate candy makers who don’t and do use fair trade practices, the regulations and compliance issues around chocolate manufacture, and what we can do to ensure that we are not supporting companies that are not adhering to ethical labor practices.
I love chocolate. What’s not to love about it is the enslavement of children who harvest the cacao bean for some of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers. Kathleen has researched and written a great article. Please read it.
It raises the question for me about Oaxacan chocolate. Where does the cacao bean and chocolate come from that goes into making that delicious, frothy morning cup of hot chocolate. Where does the chocolate come from that is the primary ingredient for mole negro, my absolute favorite mole that covers chicken and rice? If anyone knows the answer, do tell!
This comment just came in to me via email from Silva: the chocolate used in Oaxaca for drinking and mole comes from the Mexican State of Tabasco.
She sent this link to the USDA web site for an explanation of terms regarding organic labeling. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPUnderstandingOrganicLabeling&description=Understanding%20Organic%20Labeling&acct=nopgeninfo
She goes on to say that many people take the “USDA organic” label for granted. If you check USDA, you will find that the term means that up to 5% of the item can be chemicals and non-organic materials. This agreement was made by
pressure from Monsanto, Dole, etc. Many so called USDA organic items at the grocery store are NOT organic, but 95% organic. They can be identical to non-organic products, just cost more money – great profits for companies like Dole. The only items that are organic are those that say “USDA 100%
organic”. I have never seen that label in a store. Just worth keeping in mind when using that term…
Organic Mexican Produce, Fair Trade and the Cocaine Market: A Discussion
With permission, I am sharing this email that came in to me today as a follow-on to the discussion about Fair Trade chocolate, and where Mexican chocolate comes from. The following comes from a reader who only buys organic and who is frustrated with the demise of the small Mexican farmer as NAFTA drives down prices and drives up the production and sale of cocaine.
“The “organic” designation in Mexico is very difficult to get. It is strictly given, but costs a fair bit to renew every year. You can buy a number of Mexican products (I know a coffee grower in Guerrero) where the growers only get their “organic” designation every few years so the product might not be labelled. It is simply too expensive to do every year.
“I can though buy “organic” Mexican limes that are small and irregular in colour and shape and very flavourful. I can buy “organic” US limes which are the size of oranges and all uniform in size, and have a bland flavour. I will bet that the Mexican ones are honestly organic, and that the US ones have chemicals and are GM (genetically modified). Unfortunate that this is allowed to exist.
It is worth research as well, how much it costs to get “fair trade” designation. Large companies who can afford it, are more likely to have the legal right to use it than small producers. There is a lot of trickery in these things… one of the funniest ones I find now is people being “green” and advertising “organic bamboo” clothing for a higher price than cotton. Fabric made from bamboo is actually “rayon” which has been sold for many years. Since bamboo grows so quickly (I am sure you notice that in Oaxaca) it doesn’t need chemicals. There is always a way to get more money than something is truly worth.
“I spend lots of time in Mexican markets, and lots of conversations with sellers – unfortunately because of the “free trade” agreements, foods like avocados from Mexico were banned from sale in the US for many years, in competition with those from California. At the same time, most of the apples and pears that you find for sale in Mexican markets are from the state of Washington in the US. It is all a mess, not just as simple as one might think.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary
Tagged fair trade, Mexican drug violence, Mexico, North American Free Trade Agreement, Organic food