Nightly Indulgence

So, as you probably know, I've been on a healthy kick since the start of the year - all in anticipation of the BIG.WHITE.DRESS.

But one thing I have not - and will not - give up is my nightly dark chocolate fix. Won't do it. I've decided that chocolate affects my quality of life too much to go without it. So, Matt and I share a bar of Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate (sometimes with hazelnuts - yum) after dinner and that's our cheat. Absolutely no guilt about that.

Except ... I know well and keep getting reminded that chocolate is one of the worst products when it comes to child labor, slavery and unsafe working conditions.

Today I stumbled across better world shopper, a website that advocates changing shopping habits in order to honor concerns about fair trade, child labor, environmental preservation, etc. See how it lists chocolate as one of the top 10 things to change in order to make a contribution to these causes?

here

Yep, so as much chocolate as we eat, I think we need to look into some alternatives. Below, the site provides a list of chocolate makers with grades based on their labor practices, sustainability, and social responsibility.

here

My beloved Ghirardelli scores a disappointing C+, which is a grade I'd never accept for myself so why should I let my chocolate perform so poorly?

Goal for this weekend: hit up the local fair trade shops to sample some chocolate. Then, hopefully, I can find a bulk supply online to cut costs a bit. But I don't think my pleasure should come at such a high cost to others, even if it is my one indulgence.