Did you know that an average of 173 million tons of sugar are produced worldwide each year, and much of it comes from farms that use forced labor child labor and event forced child labor in countries like Mexico, India, Bolivia, and more. Being aware of your sugar consumption and where you are sourcing your ingredients is the first step towards becoming a conscious consumer!

The average American consumes 19.5 teaspoons of sugar EVERY DAY, which adds up to about 66 pounds of sugar per year! As Americans, our massive consumption of sugar contributes to the humanitarian crisis caused by the use of forced and child labor within the sugar industry. Being conscious of how much sugar you consume and which brands you are using can help. We use Wholesome Sweet Sugar (available at Hannaford) that is Fair Trade Certified and organic! Small changes like this can go a long way if we all work together!

The United States sources a large majority of their sugar from Guatemala, Brazil, and Mexico, countries known to use forced labor or child labor in the sugar industry in order to cut costs during production. These victims of human trafficking are often coerced or trapped into working on plantations or in sugar mills, where they face unsafe working conditions and unfair living wages.

Big companies can have an enormous impact on the sugar industry by refusing to source their sugar from plantations, mills, or traders that use forced and child labor. This removes the financial incentive to use these types of labor throughout the supply chain, forcing the entire industry to change.

Some big name brands such as Ben & Jerry's, Coca Cola, and General Mills (Annie's, Cheerios, Pilsbury, Yoplait, etc.) have begun to take a stand against human trafficking in the sugar supply chain in other ways:

For example, all of the sugar used in Ben & Jerry's products is Fair Trade Certified.

General Mills is also making a difference in the sugar industry by aiming to source 100% of their sugar from suppliers that use fair and sustainable practices. As of 2015, General Mills achieved 59% of this goal.

Coca Cola has also committed to raising awareness about human trafficking in the sugar industry by publishing 28 studies on forced and child labor in the supply chain. They have also increased transparency with their consumers by publishing a source map on their website to show where they are getting their sugar.

#FreedomCafe #EndTrafficking #FreedomInDurham #FairTrade #FairTradeCertified #EthicallySourced #FairTradeSugar #EndHumanTrafficking #EndChildLabor #Sugar #SugarConsumption #WholesomeOrganicCaneSugar #BeAConsciousConsumer #ConsciousConsumerism #BeTheChange #OneCupAtATime #SocialJustice #HumanRights