The Grocer says, Slavery shouldn’t have been accepted in 1821 and is definitely unacceptable in 2021. Yet UK food outlets still contain food produced by slaves.
How a food company addresses modern slavery is a good litmus test of its ethical credentials. There has been welcome action from some in recent years. However, a slave-free food sector will remain a distant dream unless those in positions of influence step up.
Nowhere are debates about livelihoods more front and centre than in chocolate. With Easter approaching, will chocolate brands deliver verifiable ethical promises on hollow eggs, or make hollow promises on so-called ‘ethical’ eggs?
Tony’s Chocolonely – whose mission is a slave-free chocolate sector – was criticised for being associated with a large cocoa processor accused of modern slavery in its supply chains.
The feature is by Daniel Crossley, CEO of the UK Food Ethics Council, who joins Quota on March 30 in a panel discussion about slavery in the cocoa trade. Sign up here to join us.
