This Easter, Don’t Buy…

Specific holidays (like Easter) drive significant sales in the candy industry so this is the perfect time to affect the sales of companies with little or no ethics. I hope something similar to what happened with the Target boycott can occur this Easter to show companies that consumers DO care how they operate business.

All of these companies have issues but the biggest is the global cocoa market. They exploit impoverished countries and use child and slave labor. About 2/3 of African cocoa farms use child labor; some kids as young as five. I challenge you to put your money where your mouth is and prove to the world—but more importantly yourself—that in the face of slavery and child labor, you chose do the right thing by not supplying the revenue that keeps these unethical practices alive.

If you do not care about child or slave labor that is your choice, but maybe you choose to not give money to these companies due to:
A) “price-fixing.” Nearly all have been involved in a criminal conspiracy to fix the prices of leading chocolate brands across the global market. Germany sued them in 2008 and Canada explored it in 2013.
B) ingredient issues. The heavy metals, cadmium and lead were found in high amounts in Hershey and Lindt chocolates in late 2022. Titanium dioxide was in Skittles until 2025. Mars uses synthetic food dyes despite its connection to behavioral problems in children. In 2026, the Reese family called out Hershey for altering ingredients and lying about it, which Hershey denied but they also made plenty of statements admitting to changing recipes. In 2024, Ferrero had a salmonella outbreak beginning in February but did not recall products until April.
C) partner with Israeli companies. Mondelez International that owns Milka, specifically has investments with Israel that have been condemned as against international law by legal organizations such as the United Nations.

Not listed: Peeps. They are an Easter favorite for many families. They are owned by Just Born Quality Confections. Although I could not find anything definitive against them, I did find it strange they have had multiple court cases from 2017 with Buso v. Just Born, Inc. to 2026 with Stephanie Escobar v. Just Born, Inc. Thus, I cannot support or condemn them.

I am not asking you to give up candy but I am asking you to buy from one of the companies I mention below or others you can find on the Internet. It is important to buy from companies that are certified Fair Trade or offer complete transparency because that lets you know they pay workers fairly and have safe working conditions.

You can buy most of these products at iHerb or their own websites
1) Yum Earth. They have Easter-specific items. You can buy them at Walmart, Target, Amazon, or iHerb.
2) TCHO Chocolate
3) Taza Chocolate
4) Beyond Good - empowers Madagascan and Ugandan cocoa farmers
5) Endangered Species Chocolate - donates 10% of profits to organizations that support species conservation
6) Divine Chocolate - one of the only certified Fair Trade chocolate companies that is co-owned by cocoa farmers. They also prioritize gender equality
7) Alter Eco - they use compostable packaging and offset carbon emissions by planting trees
8) Equal Exchange - their chocolates are grown by small farmer co-ops
9) UnReal - every product is non-GMO. No gluten, corn, or soy. Great replacement for M&Ms and Reese’s. They also have Easter-specific products.
10) Theo - committed to social and environmental responsibility. Partnered with Eastern Congo Initiative, Jane Goodall Institute, and the World Bicycle Relief
11) Hu Kitchen
12) Evolved - free of gluten, dairy, and soy. They use fewest ingredients possible.
13) Dapaah - vegan. Ghana business.
14) Loving Earth - no cane sugar or dairy. Chocolate remains uncooked and unprocessed. Full of phytonutrients and antioxidants
15) Phillip Ashley Chocolates

If you want to check what chocolate companies do or do not use child or slave labor, you can go to www.slavefreechocolate.org