Choosing from a Variety of Chocolates

One of the hottest topics right now in the industry is whether chocolate is Fair Trade. Fair Trade certification is a product certification system designed to allow people to identify products that meet agreed-upon environmental, labor and developmental standards. "[Fair Trade] certifies that farmers are paid a livable wage and they engage in environmentally-sound growing methods," explained Darlene Zembrod, trainer and educator for Ecco Bella.

Jessie Williams, CEO of EatPastry added, "Fair Trade chocolate shows dignity to farmers, offers a fair price, fair labor conditions, direct trade, democratic organizations, community development and environmental sustainability."

However, there are some companies who have found it difficult to obtain Fair Trade certification. "The challenge of Fair Trade is that we require more than just quantity. We require three items to be met before we use a cocoa bean: quality, quantity and a single origin point," said Claire Polson, vice president of marketing and business development, Explorer's Bounty. "Obtaining all single origin, with a consistent profile in the quantities that we use is difficult on a consistent basis. However, as a socially responsible business, we strive to keep sourcing."

For Enjoy Life Foods, the cost of becoming Fair Trade certified was too high. "We did consider [the Fair Trade] issues; however, the ingredient costs required to produce safe, allergy-friendly chocolate products that are all-natural, organic and Fair Trade simply became too costly and we did not want to pass that cost along to our consumers," reasoned Nancy Curby, marketing director for Enjoy Life Foods. "Our goal was to make our chocolate bars an affordable, everyday indulgence for our special diet consumers and pursuing organic and/or Fair Trade certification simply did not make that possible."

Organic and vegan chocolates are also making waves in the chocolate industry. Many companies cite lack of pesticides and other harmful ingredients as to why they decide to go organic. "Explorer's Bounty uses only organic items; this ensures we are working with food that is good for the Earth and its inhabitants," Polson explained.