Fancy a bite of ‘Injustice’? Woke chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely launches new bars titled ‘Injustice’, Inequality’ and ‘Inhuman’ in bid to get sweet-toothed Waitrose shoppers talking about child labour and slavery
- Tony’s Chocolonely has released three new bars named on social justice themes
- ‘Injustice’, ‘inequality’ and ‘inhuman’ chocolate bars are available in Waitrose
- The aim is to raise awareness of child labour and slavery in chocolate industry
- 70 per cent of cocoa is produced in West Africa, where exploitation is common
- But some have criticised the move as a ‘gimmick’ and ‘patronising to customers’
Chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely has started a debate about inequality once again after releasing three new bars themed on topics of exploitation in the chocolate industry.
The Dutch confectioners, who are popular in the UK, launched three new chocolate bars in partnership with Waitrose.
But instead of their usual brightly-coloured wrapping, the new bars are emblazoned with the words ‘injustice’, ‘inequality’ and ‘inhuman’.
The ‘conversation’ chocolate bars are available in Waitrose this month and are aimed to get people talking about illegal child labour and slavery in the chocolate industry.
However some customers have said they are fed up with what they have termed as ‘gimmicks’ and simply want to enjoy their chocolate.
The ‘inequality’ bar is made up of milk chocolate, caramel, almonds, nougat, pretzels and sea salt. ‘Inhuman’ is a vegan dark chocolate bar with lemony caramel and cocoa biscuit . Thirdly, is ‘injustice’ – a white chocolate bar with raspberry biscuit sprinkles.
Tony’s Chocolonely bars are aimed at tackling issues of exploitation in the chocolate industry
The ‘inequality’ bar is made up of milk chocolate, caramel, almonds, nougat, pretzels and sea salt. ‘Inhuman’ is a vegan dark chocolate bar with lemony caramel and cocoa biscuit . Thirdly, is ‘injustice’ – a white chocolate bar with raspberry biscuit sprinkles
The brand said: ‘What’s with all the serious words? So glad you asked.
‘Our Conversation Bars are made to get you talking. Three news flavours in stripped back wrappers… But why? The issues of injustice, inequality and lack of humanity exist in the chocolate industry.
‘That’s what results in illegal child labour and modern slavery.
‘We think change begins with conversation. Research shows that contact and dialogue with people outside your bubble increases empathy, which leads to a shift in attitudes and behaviour.’
The company’s website is also selling a £13.49 ‘Conversation Bars Kit’ that contains the three new bars and a card game.
Waitrose also launched the products on its Instagram page, saying: ‘We’re delighted to reveal three new and exclusive bars with @tonyschocolonely-uk-ire which are designed to highlight three important topics: justice, equality & humanity – encouraging people to engage in conversation about these important issues.
‘The bars are exclusively available in our shops and on waitrose.com until 25th January.’
But not everyone was keen on the woke new wrappers.
Tubita04 replied to Waitrose’s post saying: ‘Change begins when you employ a fully diverse team as opposed to a bunch of white people who profit from preaching (check company team website to see for yourselves). Your values are phony at best and yet you think you’re the almighty in the chocolate industry.
‘I am very disappointed that Waitrose is giving you a platform to patronise its customers.’
The ethically-produced brand has issued three new bars aimed at raising awareness of exploitation in the chocolate industry
Another said: ‘I’m a big fan of Tony’s because it’s bloody tasty chocolate and will buy it when it’s on sale. Totally on board with the ethical message too, but not gonna lie I’m not a fan of the gimmicks.’
Drag queen Lady Munter said: ‘Who knew injustice could taste so good?’
Another person quipped: ‘I dunno, I just wanna eat chocolate, not start a debate.’
A fifth person added: ‘I have absolutely no idea what this is all about. What is the connection between chocolate and the three things mentioned?’
A Tony’s spokesperson said on Twitter: ‘Our Conversation Bars put three important issues in the spotlight and provide a platform for everyone to share what these issues mean to them.
‘Waitrose have partnered with us to give this message more reach and allow choco fans nationwide to have positive, meaningful conversations.’
In December, Tony’s Chocolonely was criticised after it released a Tony’s advent calendar with missing chocolate in a bid to highlight child labour.
Lady Munter posted on Instagram: @Who knew injustice could taste so good’
In a social media post on December 8, when the empty window was first spotted, the company said: ‘In Ghana and the Ivory Coast, at least 1.56 million children work under illegal conditions because the price being paid for cocoa is too low. Worst still, at least 30,000 adults and children are forced to work. We don’t think that’s okay.’
The firm later apologised over the stunt, which it said was ‘inappropriate’ after disappointed customers complained.
According to charity, The Food Empowerment Project, Western African countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast supply about 70% of the world’s cocoa – including to the world’s biggest chocolate companies.
The charity stated: ‘In the past few decades, a handful of organizations and journalists have exposed the widespread use of child labor, and in some cases slavery, on cocoa farms in Western Africa.
‘Child labor has been found on cocoa farms in Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, although since most of Western Africa’s cocoa is grown in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the majority of child labor cases have been documented in those two countries.’
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