20% increase in fair-trade chocolate worldwide

This month, one member of the Chocolate Industry took a landmark decision that will result in a 20% increase in fair-trade - Traffik Free - chocolate worldwide.

Royal Verkade, a Dutch household name and subsidiary of United Biscuits, announced that they will be using 100% Fair Trade cocoa and sugar in their products from the autumn onwards. This is the first A-list chocolate producer worldwide to make the transition to Fair Trade production on a large scale and STOP THE TRAFFIK congratulates Royal Verkade for taking this decision.

Though many players were involved, a major turning point occurred during STOP THE TRAFFIK Netherlands and local NGO Fairfood’s ‘naming and shaming’ campaign, linking Verkade with the worst forms of child labour in Ivory Coast. "Within a day we had a phone call from Fair Trade", states Antonie Fountain of STOP THE TRAFFIK Holland, "saying that Verkade had just called them to talk about the possibility of Fair Trade sourcing for their cocoa”.