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The issue of ethical goods, whether it鈥檚 campaigning against the use of children in sweat shops, the purchasing of fair-trade coffee or even buying conflict/blood diamonds, has truly taken on a life of its own.

According to anti-trafficking campaign group Stop the Traffik, a substantial amount of our much loved confectionery is being produced by child slaves.

Chair of Stop the Traffik Steve Chalke said: 鈥淎lmost 50% of the world鈥檚 chocolate is produced by using chocolate slaves 鈥� that鈥檚 children trapped into slavery and forced to produce cocoa beans.鈥�

Determine to raise the issue, Steve and pupils from a local primary school held a protest outside Nestl茅鈥檚 headquarters in the town centre, to demand that chocolate manufacturers stop the sale of what they claim is slave trade chocolate.

Farmers Field School

fight back

But, defending the confectionery, Communications Director Alison Ward said: 鈥淲e are firmly committed to creating a supply chain free from the worst forms of child labour and forced labour. We are confident we have the right systems and programmes in place to achieve this.鈥�

鈥淲e [The Biscuit Cake Chocolate & Confectionery Association] have invited Stop the Traffik to meet ICI {International Cocoa Initiative} to discuss how Stop the Traffik can work with this initiative and to build on the actions already taken by ICI.听 We are disappointed, that to date, Stop the Traffik has not done this.

To hear more from Steve Chalke and Alison Ward, click onto the video