Shop To Stop Slavery+

Sep 18, 2012 by Judy

Knowing where your food comes from is key to ending modern day slavery. In the United States we think that slavery happens elsewhere, in other countries, not on our home turf. The truth is, the exploitation of farm workers in the agricultural fields of the United States has been documented for years.

Shop To Stop Slavery is in the business of ending slavery and to help in that effort here is a list of some of the foods you may purchase from your grocery store that are harvested by slave labor. The list is so extensive I can only give the sampling provided below:

Bananas - Burma, Ecuador, Nicaragua

Beans – Burma, Mexico

Cashews – Guinea

Cigarettes – Bangladesh, India

Cocoa – Columbia, Peru, Ghana, Nigeria

Coffee, Corn, Eggplant, Grapes, Matches, Olives, Rice, Salt, Tobacco, Vanilla, Wheat, etc.

This list , which is in printable format on the Shop To Stop Slavery website, is only one of the ways STSS uses to educate us and show us ways we can help. Do you know that when you buy from organizations that provide education and resources you are creating relationships and programs that benefit the poor and STOP slavery. Slavery is a business that preys on the poor tricking them into believing there is a better life somewhere and then enslaving them. When you purchase fair trade products you are ensured that the producers or harvesters of those goods are being paid fairly, work in good conditions, and work a reasonable number of hours. The guess work is taken out of the equation for we consumers who may otherwise be unsure of how our products get from point A to point B. Making a decent living wage allows people to care for their families. Fair trade reduces poverty, protecting families and individuals from human trafficking. Can you imagine that by the simple act of purchasing an item with the Fair Trade Certified label on it you are, in fact, changing someone’s life and their families lives. It’s an amazing opportunity to help empower the powerless.

For more on Fair Trade products and companies, socially conscious back to school shopping, ethical holiday shopping, slave free products and so on, please visit the Shop To Stop Slavery website. There is a wealth of information and inspiration as well as opportunities for seminars and workshops, advertising options and a super helpful, extensive, listing of wholesalers and retail vendors of ethical goods. It’s so uplifting to have all this information at our fingertips and to see all STSS is doing on behalf of those caught in modern day slavery.