Kraft VS. Cadbury- The Real Issues

Recent news indicating that Kraft (a US company) is planning to take over world famous chocolate and candy maker Cadbury (UK) has been met with unsurprising howls of outrage in the UK.

Not only are the Brits in danger of losing a piece of their national pride, but it also appears as if Kraft is planning to close UK factories and lay off large numbers of Cadbury workers...


Nationalistic Brits of all political stripes have held demonstrations against the planned takeover.  Even the normally pro-business/pro-globalization UK government Business Secretary Peter Mandelson has weighed in – attempting to stop the take over on the grounds of protecting jobs.

Cadbury is a very old company and created some of the world’s most famous chocolate bars, including the ever popular “Dairy Milk”.  

But the controversy over Cadbury and Kraft should really be about something completely different: our broken food system.  

Many of us know that the global chocolate industry is built on several shaky foundations – cheap cacao from countries such as Ghana where farmers are so poor they rely on child labour to bring in the crop, the use of corn-by products as sweetener, and the use of preservatives.  

For many years now, the global corporate food system has managed to deliver cheap, mass-produced chocolate (and other candies) in Western countries.  While the quality of this product is relatively poor, its popularity is undeniable.  But mass-produced “cheap” chocolate has a price no one can deny – a negative impact both on our health and a negative impact on those growing the cacao bean.

At the West End Food Co-op we are proud to be working in partnership with ChocoSol Traders to help provide an alternative to the mainstream

ChocoSol provides natural, direct-trade cacao products.  Yes, the price is higher but so is the quality. and, in moderate quantities, REAL chocolate is actually good for you.  Perhaps paying a higher price will means we value the product more and consume it in more reasonable quantities…all food for thought.

You will find ChocoSol at our Farmers Market this Monday, March 15 3-7.