When you think of products you purchase at stores you do not really think about where the actual ingredients come from but instead you just think it comes from just a factory. But the ingredients that are used to make these refined goods come from all around the world. Professor Liftin had us participate in a contemplative practice where we got the opportunity to actually taste raw Cocoa which comes from the Ivory Coast in Africa and is harvested via. child labor. When I think of Cocoa I think of a sweet and rich flavor that excites my taste buds but I got the complete opposite with the raw Cocoa. When I put the raw Cocoa in my mouth I instantly made a face of disgust due to it’s extremely bitter taste. Here in the US chocolate is viewed as a cheap but delightful treat for most but we are not aware of how much child labor goes into making one chocolate bar.
After doing the exercise it was a given that big corporations are able take advantage of less developed countries and profit off of their resources. It shows that trade is not fair but for some countries there is no other choice. In the video we watched there were numerous children from all over Africa who came to that farm to work because they had no other option. It is extremely sad that corporations do this to profit but we must take some sort of action whether it is reducing the consumption of chocolate or purchasing from those who know where their ingredients come from. This is not an easy thing to do but if no one takes a step then corporations will continue to profit off of these children.
link to video below:
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-15686731/cocoa-farms-in-ivory-coast-still-using-child-labour