Ghana is a vibrant country full of life and color. The local culture and tradition manifest throughout Ghana through its clothing and houses. However, what it is most known for is chocolate. Ghana is one of the number one cocoa bean-producing countries worldwide. Six hundred eighty-nine metric tons of cocoa beans are produced annually in Ghana. 

Everybody loves chocolate. It contains antioxidants that can be beneficial to your health. Flavonols in cocoa can lower your blood pressure and act just as well as the drugs you can buy at the store, and they’re delicious! It is my favorite treat, and most of America seems to agree with me, especially transitioning into the romantic season during February. During the week of Valentine’s Day, the US consumes over 58 million pounds of chocolate. If you thought that was bad, we consume a whopping 2.8 billion pounds of this sweet treat yearly.

Although this sounds great for the still developing country’s economy, it is bittersweet. For example, over 70% of Ivory Coast’s illegal deforestation was due to cocoa plantations. These plantations take up large amounts of space that the forests ultimately have to give up. Deforestation is an extensive issue in Ghana due to desperate farmers having no other option.

Not only the forests that house the plantations are taking a toll, but also the people who work on these plantations. Over 1.56 million children work on Ghanaian cocoa plantations. This is a tragic issue because we are seeing many machetti-related deaths. Machettis are almost as big as the children! Regrettably, Mars, the candy monopoly that owns companies like Milky Way, Dove, Bounty, 3 Musketeers, and many more, has children working on their plantations until age five. This is inexcusable, and child labor cannot be an option. Almost every bite out of a Twix or Snickers bar contains chocolate harvested by children in Africa.

Although Mars has bought off many plaintiffs, this has tarnished their reputation. Now you feel guilty for eating these chocolates, but they’re so good! If you can’t hold yourself back from eating chocolate, you should try to support companies like Hershey’s, which has many anti-child labor policies. Mars makes over $45 billion a year from these chocolate companies, and mostly off of five-year-olds working out in the scorching sun to produce just enough money for their family to eat that day.

This irresistible treat is slightly too bitter due to these monopolies’ wrongful ways. We must try to change something and help these children. I know it’s hard, but switching to a more sustainable and child-labor-free company is a better idea. Many other quality companies like Lindt and Sprüngli strongly oppose these terrible practices so you won’t run out of options!