WHY SHOULD WE ALL BE ETHICAL SHOPPERS?

by Maddie, Year 6

Child Labour And Why Should I?

Did you know that good ol’ Cadbury and Lindt aren’t as good as they seem? Sure, their chocolate is absolutely delicious. But the people who helped pick ingredients are brutally forced to work eight hours a day or more, using dangerous machines such as chainsaws and machetes. This is called child labour. 

These people are within the age limit of 4 and 17, and get paid less than $2 a day. If they’re really lucky and aren’t working fast enough, they may get whipped if found trying to escape. 

This is unfair. (An understatement). Children should be at school in a safe environment, learning things that teach them to get useful jobs in the future. 

Ethical shopping is an important and respectful habit. It means poor farmers (that work for all different companies) will get paid enough to live on, and provide for their families. Companies might also realise, for example, that no one was really buying their products and perhaps change their ways of producing their food. It’s also better for you, too! I prefer to know that I am eating nice, healthy food that is as close as nature as possible. The closest food to nature is something like raw fish, honey, organic free range meat, and fresh fruit and vegetables. The more ingredients you have, the worse it is for you, the planet, and the growing intelligence of our world.

The Annoying Part

Unfortunately, most ethical companies’ products are more expensive because they pay their farmers the right amount of money, so I know it’s hard to do the right thing. 

But if you could try, it would show that you are in agreement that better ingredients make a better planet - therefore you are supporting ethical companies’ more pleasant methods. 

I think unethical food is really interesting. Because it can include hundreds, thousands even, of different foods: cheese, chocolate, milk, yoghurt, fruit, crackers, potato chips, and bread. 

And it’s not just food!!! Clothes, stationery, accessories and more all have a backstory. I might tell you about the brands at the end of this piece. 

Ethical foods are almost always made of good ingredients as well... The fewer ingredients the better. 

For YOUR sake, for the EARTH’S sake, and for the POOR CHILDREN’S sake, please try to buy more ethical products to improve food in this world. 

“How do I know which products are ethical?” You say. 

Well, I can help you with that. On the App Store, download the SHOP ETHICAL app. Here are the app's guides to ethical shopping:

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A = Extremely ethical            

B = Quite ethical                     

C = Has its pros and cons

D = Not ethical!

F = Bad. Simply bad.                                                        

Here are some examples of A, B, C, D and F. (I don’t know why E isn’t included.)

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Living Planet A (Milk) Mostly organic products, environmental claims. 

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San Remo B (Pasta and other products) GM Free brand, voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation.

John West C (Tuna) Water pollution in China, dolphin safe, pollution & rubbish dumped in Portneuf River.

Kelloggs D (Cereal) Palm oil sourcing.

Lindt F (Chocolate) Cadbury F (Chocolate) Kettle F (Chips) Irresponsible marketing, human rights violations, racial discrimination*, child labour.

Sakata F (Crackers).

PS If you download the app and check a brand that is rated B or something, keep checking. Small brands often get bought by big ones and the rating may change. :)

PPS I am terribly sorry if I am making you feel guilty. I’m just telling the truth.