Some faith groups, like the United Methodist Committee on Relief, are using Halloween as an opportunity to promote justice and fair-trade by joining Equal Exchange, a cooperative that sells fairly traded products, to promote mini-chocolates in special trick-or-treat bags for Halloween. The treats can be purchased online, along with postcards detailing fair trade awareness, to pass out to trick-or-treaters at the door.
The fairly traded cocoa, sponsors say, is “monitored from the farmers to the store shelf,” by groups like FLO International and TransFair USA. Groups monitor standards and certify producers, ensuring no child labor or forced labor was used in the cocoa production and that farmers are paid enough.
Have you ever thought about where your Halloween candy comes from? Would you be interested in doing something like this in your church to promote fair-trade?
