Chocolate bar 🍫
1. What are the working and living conditions of the people who produce the cocoa?
Due to the fact Cocoa is highly dependent on intensive manual labour. So, the workers would need to do alot of monitoring and caring with necessary harvesting. Most workers would barely get any type of sleep due to the fact they always have to make sure the Cocoa pods dont all ripen at the same time.
2. How is it produced ? Are there child labour invovled ?
Cocoa is produced originally from the cocoa beans; that happen to grow on cocoa trees. The trees start producing when in an hot and humid climate for them to grow. In Ghana of 2008-2009, there been at least over 1.75 million children working on the cocoa farms. This could be hazardous for children who psychological capabilities are still being developed.
3. How do the producers get the cocoa to the market?
Most if the cocoa comes from the origin countries which is sold through physical market. However, small traders typically buy cocoa beans directly from farmers. When those small buyers sell the beans, those beans will go to wholesalers which then will end up re-selling the beans to exporters.
4. How are the prices set?
The prices for the cocoa is really driven by the commodities market. The commodity market sets the prices based on supply and demand levels.
5. Which international corporations dominate the chocolate trade? Who regulates it ?
The international corporation that dominates the chocolate trade would be Mars( U.S.A). Democratically, the farmer co-ops produce the fair trade chocolate in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. However, the third- party nonprofit Fair Trade regulates working conditions for the chocolate companies to make sure their chocolate is harvested under ethical conditions.
6. How is chocolate marketed?
Some chocolate companies are trying to target certain people like children. They would wrap the chocolate bars in either bright colors to outstand other chcocolatw wrappers or make their labels and advertising cheerful.
7. Where did u buy it ?
I bought my chocolate bar at the Rite- Aid in NorthWood Plaza. But it is sold at Walmart, Target, etc.
8. How much profit does a store owner make on a chocolate bar ?
In small retail or small- business store owner, they produce smaller batches which makes their profit in a low percentages as of 2012 at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
9. Are there any hidden cost that are no included in the price you paid ?
I don’t believe there is a hidden cost
10. Consider under payment of labor; environmental impact; government subsidies that are direct ( to the company) and indirect ( infrastructure such as roads , ports , bridges , and water systems); and the health care costs created harvesting transporting processing or eating the food ?
I believe that the workers are not getting paid enough for the time and effort they have to do harvesting and monitoring the cooca trees and beans everyday. They arent provided much healthcare for them nor their family; especially if they were to get into an accident. The company would have to pay for their leave of absence while injured on the job.
11. How are these cost obscured?
Theyre obscured because they aren’t getting paid enough to provide for their family, so most of them have to get a second job. Paying minimum wage doesnt always provide for a small family of 3.