Action Alert from the Labor-Religion Coalition's Fair Trade Project
CADBURY PLEDGES TO EXPAND FAIR TRADE
Thank Cadbury for its Fair Trade commitment!

Cadbury recently announced plans to begin using Fair Trade cocoa in the summer of 2009 for England's leading chocolate bar, Cadbury Dairy Milk. Cadbury is the first major chocolate brand to use Fair Trade in one of its main product lines, and this change is an important step to improve the lives and working conditions of cocoa farmers in Ghana. Cadbury's announcement proves that it IS viable for a major chocolate bar to go Fair Trade without passing a significant cost increase to consumers.

Cadbury's Fair Trade bars will only be available in England and Ireland. Here in the US, Cadbury's chocolates are not Fair Trade certified and there is no labor certification behind Cadbury's Creme Eggs or mini eggs, which are manufactured by Hershey Chocolate in the USA. By contrast, companies like Divine, Equal Exchange, Sweet Earth Chocolates, Alter Eco, and Theo Chocolate have been pioneering Fair Trade and sustainable practices for decades, and are 100% Fair Trade.

As we all know, it is important to write companies to pressure them to improve their performance on human rights and the environment. But it is just as important to thank companies when they make a change for the better.

We are asking you to take two important actions:

• Please join us and Fair Trade advocates around the world in generating as many letters as possible in thanking Cadbury for its support for Fair Trade and encouraging Cadbury and Hershey to extend Fair Trade to the US market! Click the following link to send an email: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/cadbury09 OR click on this sample letter to cut and paste from your own email.

• For your own chocolate purchases, continue to choose Fair Trade! When you order Equal Exchange chocolate through this site, Equal Exchange will make a 10% donation to our Fair Trade Project.

Congratulations on this important victory to all of you. Your continued support of Fair Trade ensures a living wage and no child labor for thousands of producers here in the U.S. and around the globe, allowing them to invest in their communities and plan for a brighter future for their families.

In solidarity,
Anne Kelly, Fair Trade Promoter

P.S. To join the NYSUT/ Fair Trade Project e-group, please send an email to Anne asking to subscribe. While some information applies to NYSUT members, everyone is welcome to keep up with Fair Trade news from the Labor-Religion Coalition's Fair Trade Project.

Last Updated: 03/26/2009
© Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State