Behind sweet chocolatey treats is a dark, open secret; child slave labor.
The labor-intensive cultivation and harvesting of cocoa have a long history of using slave workers. The practice came to light in documentaries like Slavery: A Global Investigation and The Dark Side of Chocolate, in addition to investigative reporting and research. Major chocolate producers like Nestle and Mars have also acknowledged this, but little progress has been made to date towards slave-free chocolate.
Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s and chocolatier Tony Chocolonely’s, both lovers of chocolate, have announced a partnership that will include flavor collaborations and Ben & Jerry’s adoption of Tony’s Chocolonely’s sourcing principles and practices. Ben & Jerry’s will adopt Tony’s Open Chain, an industry-led initiative that aims to end slave labor in cocoa production and includes tools toward that goal.
In addition to joining Tony’s Open Chain, the two brands will drop sweet treat collaborations. On Tony’s Chocolonely’s side, two bars find inspiration in Ben & Jerry’s classics Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Fudge Brownie, called Chocolate Love A-Fair. The chocolate bars wrappers feature a design reminiscent of the background on Ben & Jerry’s pints but retain Tony’s Chocolonely’s core brand elements, including the 100% slave-free label.
Ben & Jerry’s new batch flavor Chocolatey Love A-Fair is based on Tony Chocolonely’s popular caramel sea salt bar. The pint includes Tony’s Chocolonely’s co-branding and Tony Open Chain’s 100% slave-free label.
The new chocolate bars and ice cream will be available in early 2023.
Images courtesy of Ben & Jerry’s and Tony’s Chocolonely.
