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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2015-10-21, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, October 21, 2015 www.clintonnewsrecord.com NowsCl Record PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1 LO (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com rp] POSTMEDIA MARIE DAVID Group Advertising Director - Grey Bruce Huron Division 519376-2250ext514301 or510364-2001ext531024 NEIL CLIFFORD Advertising Director neil.cl ifford@sun media.ca LAURA BROADLEY Reporter clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative clinton.ads@sunmedia.ca TERESA SMITH Front Office clinton.classifieds@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographic error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Ad- vertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Minton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. .471 Canada Member of the Canadian Community CnaNewspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association column Buyer outrage sweet for fight against slavery e live in a litigious society. People sue when their coffee's too hot and fast food makes them fat. Recently, a class action was launched against three choc- olate bar makers for tricking consumers into buying their candy. But, far from asking the courts to protect us from our own choices, this com- plaint seeks protection for the most vulnerable: children allegedly forced to work in slave -like conditions on cocoa farms. Class-action suits launched by three California residents allege chocolate makers Her- shey, Mars and Nestle engage in false advertising by failing to disclose the use of child slavery on their packaging. This omission, the plaintiffs argue, coupled with corporate claims of social responsibility, makes their customers unwit- ting supporters of child slave labour. The plaintiffs are seeking damages and revised packag- ing that clearly identifies if child slavery has been used at any stage of production. It's a novel approach to raising consumer awareness about an intractable problem. Two-thirds of the world's cocoa beans are harvested in West Africa, where children are vulnerable to trafficking and slavery. A 2015 report by Tulane University sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor assessed 2.26 million children working in the cocoa industry in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. Chocolate companies have known about allegations of child slavery for more than a decade. They are doing some- thing about it. Each of the defendants has committed to using 100 per cent certified chocolate by 2020. Each of them has an action plan to promote sustainable farming practices. Nestle has invested in schools and introduced child labour monitoring and remediation at its cocoa co-operatives. Their efforts have earned industry recognition. In 2013, Hershey was ranked among America's 100 best corporate citizens in Corporate Respon- sibility magazine. The same year, Mars was named Best Private Company by Ethical Corporation's Responsible Business Awards. And KPMG pronounced Nestle among the top 10 companies in the world reporting on corporate social responsibility. Notwithstanding their efforts, actual progress has been slow. In a five-year period, the Tulane report found child labour had increased. Some obstacles are out- side the chocolate compa- nies' control, including con- flicts in Cote d'Ivoire. But perhaps the greatest obsta- cle is a lack of public aware- ness. Nothing drives con- sumer behaviour quite like outrage. Congressman Eliot Engel was outraged. In 2001 he sponsored a legislative amendment to introduce "no child slavery" labelling for ethically sourced choco- late sold in the U.S. Faced with a public rela- tions crisis, the chocolate industry got on board with promises of voluntary self- regulation. The result was the Harkin -Engel Protocol, a commitment to eliminate the "worst forms of child labour" in cocoa production in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire by 2005. The deadline came and went. In 2010 the com- panies renewed their pledge with a goal of reducing the worst forms of child labour by 70 per cent by the year 2020. Even on this watered- down commitment, the Tulane report notes, the goal "has not come within reach:' Now, litigants hope to accomplish in labelling what U.S. legislators failed to achieve. While demand is growing, fair-trade chocolate is largely a niche market. Major brands tend to use the logo discreetly; drawing too much attention would high- light its absence on other products. They don't want us thinking the Hallowe'en candy we shell out could be made with the forced labour of children who aren't free to go trick -or -treating. If "no child slavery" were stamped on candy bars, who would buy any other kind? Which, of course, is exactly the point. Robin Baranyai Special to the Postmedia Network if it's local, it's here clintonnewsrecord.co LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Let- ters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL 1LO. CLINTON NEWS RECORD - HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-482-3443 • FAX: 519-482-7341 www.clintonnewsrecord.com