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THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: M&M/Mars' Money Talks
*Power will concede nothing without demand. So when the owners of M&M/Mars, the world's largest chocolate company, refuse to do their part to stop child slave labor in Africa, it just means our demands are not strong enough. We're not speaking their language. You see, when it comes to people with money, if you ain't talking dollars you ain't making sense.
We could talk about the 12,500 child cocoa workers in Africa who have no relatives in the area - a sure sign of trafficking. We could present evidence that shows 284,000 children perform hazardous tasks on cocoa farms, and that more than half of the Ivory Coast child cocoa workers don't attend school, creating a permanent underclass.
We could listen to M&M/Mars President Paul Michaels tell us that his company, the fourth largest, privately owned company in the United States wants American consumers to trust their voluntary standards agreement; an agreement that doesn't guarantee fair and stable cocoa prices. But to do so would be like watching a movie for the tenth time - been there and done that.
Since 2002 Global Exchange ( http://www.globalexchange.org ), an international human rights organization, has advocated free trade products, including cocoa, bananas and coffee beans. So far 42,000 farmers from nine countries in West Africa and Latin America have joined fair trade cooperatives. But if big companies that control their industries like M&M/Mars won't purchase fair trade products, the problems remain.
It's time for us to put our money where our mouths are. Starting Feb. 1st, we will begin a 28-day chocolate fast. If it looks like chocolate or tastes like chocolate, we're not buying it and we're not eating it. If buying chocolate is part of your Valentine's Day routine, change your plans. If chocolate is part of your daily intake, improve your diet. Make this promise to yourself and tell ten other people to do the same.
Children, just like the abused child laborers in Africa, are the largest group of chocolate consumers. Talk to your children and explain to them what we're doing and why. Make our fair trade campaign a family affair.
At the end of February our fast will have met three objectives: We will have made a personal commitment during Black History Month to improve our health, save our wealth and use our collective voice to influence social change.
On average each person eats one pound of chocolate every month. If we reduce our chocolate consumption, we reduce the amount of diabetes, high cholesterol and tooth decay in our community. Healthcare costs will go down too.
Also, the amount of money we save by not buying chocolate adds up. If we save the dollar we spend on a chocolate bar everyday, that's $28 every month we would have to increase our tax deductible tithes or charitable donations. It might not seem like much. But if 10,000 people save $28 in February by fasting, that's $280,000 we will have saved for that month. Repeat our efforts during the month of National Chocolate Week, Easter, and Halloween and we will have saved a collective $800,000. Now who's got the power?!
Forward this column to everyone you know. Remember to email M&M/Mars at consumer.affairs@mmmars.com and askmms@mmmars.com with your complaints. And meet me at the company's headquarters Feb. 13th for a peaceful demonstration starting at 10 am. Send me a personal email below if you want the address.
Love, Peace and Hair grease
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Washington, DC metro area. For questions or comments send them to teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com
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