You may think you only vote during election season, but that’s not true. You vote every day with the choices you make, including the products you buy. You have significant purchasing power, and what you do with your dollars tells companies a lot about what is important to you.
Join us at our next Not For Sale Georgia quarterly meeting as we focus on ethical shopping just in time for the holidays. Ethical shopping is done through a safe supply chain, which simply means that the items you buy were made without slave labor. From the raw materials to the finished product, all workers were treated fairly, paid a livable wage, and not forced or coerced to perform their job. Sadly, with over 30 million slaves around the world living today, you may find yourself surprised to know the reality of how your chocolate, clothes, soap, lamps, toys, electronics and anything in-between came to be.
Hear first-hand from companies who strive for a safe supply chain, and learn easy steps that you can take to purchase with purpose. We’ll also debut our Ethical Buying Guide featuring 250+ local, regional and national brands. And we’ll recap member’s of our core team’s experience to the Global Forum.
Driving Directions
Enter 115 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 into your GPS or Google maps.
Follow directions to the address. You will need to park in the adjacent Underground Atlanta Parking deck. This deck is at the corner of Pryor Street and MLK Jr Dr. Be sure to note where Pryor Street is relation to your directions. Enter into the deck from MLK and park. Exit the parking deck onto MLK and go to your right. The building will be at your right, we will have a sign outside the door. We will have parking validation for this deck only available for all event attendees.
MARTA Directions
Alternatively you may use MART. Get off at the Five Points Station, and take Peachtree Road South to MLK Jr. Drive. Turn left and walk down to 115 MLK (building will be to your left).
About Not For Sale
Not For Sale is a campaign of students, artists, entrepreneurs, people of faith, athletes, law enforcement officers, politicians, skilled professionals, and all justice-seekers united to fight the global slave trade and end human trafficking.
The campaign aims to recruit, educate, and mobilize an international grassroots social movement that effectively combats human trafficking and modern-day slavery through “Smart Activism.” It deploys innovative solutions for every individual to re-abolish slavery–in their own backyards and across the globe.
I’ve become a little obsessed lately with finding chocolate that is safe to buy…meaning no slave labor was used to create it. If you are new to the chocolate controversy, you can read more about it at the CNN Freedom Project. Luckily, more and more companies are cleaning up their acts. But until you know for sure, it’s good to do your homework.
I know that fair trade items are good options, as are many organic items, but outside of that I wasn’t sure. And I was especially concerned with store brands since they are less expensive and becoming more prevalent. Chocolate bars are easy enough to find, but baking chocolate, chocolate chips and other forms are much more difficult to locate in organic or fair trade form.
So, I decided to check in with the four places I typically buy groceries, including my beloved cocoa-flavored treats. And here’s what they had to say:
PUBLIX
Dear Ms. Porter,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We regret that we have failed to meet your expectations. We would never knowingly disappoint our customers. We appreciate the trust you have placed in us to rectify the situation.
Our current supplier is ADM. However, we will be moving to a new supplier very shortly. The new supplier is Barry Callebaut. No cocoa beans are grown domestically. Cocoa comes from a variety of warm climates including parts of Africa and Mexico. Neither our current or incoming suppliers exploit their workers.
Our chips are not organic and neither are they Fair Trade. Fair Trade is an organization that promote fair treatment for the farm workers in underdeveloped countries. Our supplier promotes their own community with the farmers who supply their beans much like Fair Trade.
Barry Callabaut has a number of programs which they could speak about more fully than we can. They have local representatives who visit the farms personally and check on the welfare of the workers. The Publix bakery also uses Barry Callabaut.
If we may be of further assistance in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact our customer care specialist at 1-800-242-1227. You may also contact us via email at http://www.publix.com/contact or write us at Publix Super Markets, Inc., P.O. Box 407, Lakeland, FL 33802, ATTN: Customer Care. Please be sure to reference your case identification number noted above. We look forward to serving and meeting all your future needs.
Sincerely, Tainia in Customer Care
KROGER
Our stores offer more than two dozen Fair Trade Certified products, including different varieties of coffee, tea and chocolate. These products are usually found in our natural food departments and nutrition centers, depending on the store.
We first brought Fair Trade products to our stores in 2000, and we continue to search for certified products that are of interest to our customers. Though there are limited suppliers of these products, our buyers work with both large and small companies to ensure the best selection possible.
Fair Trade is an approach to sustainable development that can help family farmers in developing nations gain better access to international markets. Proponents of Fair Trade believe that farmers who learn how to market their own harvests are in a better position to build their own businesses and earn a fair price for their products. This, in turn, may lead to higher family living standards, stronger communities and more sustainable farming practices in developing countries. A Fair Trade Certified label on a product serves as a guarantee that the item has been grown and produced by farmers and workers who received what is considered by the certifying organization to be a fair price for that product.
Most coffee, tea and chocolate in the U.S. that is Fair Trade Certified also is certified to be organic and shade-grown. This means that the products are grown under conditions designed to support biodiversity, provide shelter for migratory birds and help reduce global warming.
Sincerely, Christie Metropulos Consumer Affairs
TARGET
Dear Kristi Porter,
Thanks for taking the time to ask us about our Archer Farms Chocolates.
Our Archer Farms chocolates are a Target brand. Since the products are owned by Target, you can be sure that they live up to the high-quality standards you expect from us.
Helping to ensure the health and safety of guests and their families is our number one priority at Target. We recognize that Country of Origin labeling is important to our guests. Our buyers purchase food products from a variety of different vendors, who are required to comply with all United States labeling regulations, established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Target also requires its vendors to comply with all U.S. Customs, North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.
While we do appreciate your interest and welcome your additional questions, I’ve let you know all the information that’s available to us. I’ll be sure to make your comments available to our Grocery team for review.
We look forward to showing you what’s new at Target.
Sincerely,
Thelma, Target Guest Relations
TRADER JOE’S
Dear Kristi,
Thank you so much for contacting us – we love hearing from our customers. Unfortunately, we cannot say exactly where a chocolate product is sourced without a product name or SKU #, as we source from so many different suppliers. That said, the majority of the chocolate we sell (and in the world) will ultimately come from either Africa (Tanzania, the Ivory Coast, etc.) or Colombia.
That said, the following are our thoughts related to the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (SB 657) and work done to address risks of human trafficking and slavery:
We have great concern for the rights of all who work to provide products sold in our stores. We address such matters in our agreements with our suppliers; in fact, the code of conduct in our agreements requires that our suppliers:
“…represent and warrant that the goods sold to TJ’s were produced, harvested, manufactured, processed, packaged, labeled, transported, delivered, and sold in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations of the United States of America and all of its subdivisions and, if applicable, the laws of any other country, state, or international governing body… that the goods sold to TJ’s were not produced, harvested, manufactured, processed, packaged, labeled, transported, or delivered using forced or prison labor or forced or illegal child labor.”
We monitor compliance with our agreement through scheduled and unannounced visits and audits of our suppliers’ facilities, using our own crew members and third-party groups. If any of our suppliers are found to be not in compliance with our agreement, we will terminate the relationship.
We hope this helps clarify things!
Best regards, Rachel Customer Relations Trader Joe’s
WHOLE FOODS
Hello Kristi,
Thanks for contacting Whole Foods Market. The cacao for the 365 Organic Chocolate Bars comes from several small cooperatives in Peru. After careful evaluation of several chocolate manufacturers, we decided to switch because we had more transparency in the supply chain. The company we are now working with is one of the few bean to bar manufacturers left in the world. This means that they source their own cacao and make their own liquid chocolate before manufacturing the bars and that our bars are manufactured specifically for us.
About 30 years ago, the owner of the facility realized that he would be pushed out of the business by larger corporations if he did not look for a more secure supply of cacao in some place other than West Africa. He traveled to South America and in Peru found a group of people that were willing to work with him based on organic and fair trade principles. At Whole Foods Market, we are highly selective about what we sell, dedicated to strict product quality standards, and committed to supporting environmentally friendly agricultural and production methods. This includes our commitment to sourcing cocoa from responsible and reputable sources.
The bakery items are produced regionally, so the chocolate used by our bakeries varies from region to region. The Team Members at your local store may be able to provide more information about the chocolate used in the baked goods in that location, or put you in touch with the Regional Bakery Coordinator.
Best regards, Carijane Grigsby-Etter Global Customer Information Specialist | Whole Foods Market
Overall, it was kind of a mixed bag of I received from these customer service teams. Kroger and Target skirted the issue a bit, but at least I got a response. I will not buy their store brand chocolate products. And overall, I feel better and more informed about my purchases in each of these five stores now. I’ll definitely ask my local Whole Foods about their chocolate when I’m there next as well.
Just wanted to make sure you were informed, too! Chocolate is one of the world’s greatest treasures, so let’s make sure everyone can enjoy it from harvest to happy bellies!
This morning I attended Not For Sale Georgia‘s quarterly meeting. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the three-day conference they hosted just a few weeks ago because it was opposite Orange Conference. But this quarterly meeting was a way to catch up on what’s happening here locally. There was a lot of really great information presented, as always, so I thought I’d recap a few points here for any of my fellow abolitionists who were unable to attend.
The Global Forum on Human Trafficking will take place on November 1-2, 2012. I’m really hoping to be able to attend this year as I think it would be an unforgettable experience.
Think slavery doesn’t touch your community? Take a look at slaverymap.org to see cases reported all over the world. Of course, these are only some of the cases that people have taken the time to input. There are thousands of others that go unreported or unrecorded on this map.
A guest speaker from Tapestri in Tucker spoke on their organization, mission, victim tragedies and survivor stories. It is an amazing organization doing incredible work. I need to look into them a little more. There seems to be a lot of great information on their site local to Atlanta and Georgia.
Orange Label Denim will be coming to Atlanta this year. It’s a sustainable denim company that will have fair labor practices. I’m excited to hear more about them as they launch. And they need to be at The Orange Conference with us next year!
There is a Trafficking in Persons app that you can download as an info source. This App is intended to provide training and reference material about the realities of Trafficking In Persons (TIP). This training was created by the Office Under the Secretary of Defense (OUSD) and is intended to increase public awareness of TIP, and to help serve to end it.
Out of Darkness was mentioned again, and it reminded me to check them out. I absolutely hate that Atlanta and Georgia rank so high in modern-day slavery incidents, but I’m always excited to hear how many organizations we have here dedicated to ending it.
Buying power was discussed as it has been before. We are all encouraged to “buy differently” meaning to support socially conscious brands. I have been trying to do more of this since working at Captain Planet Foundation but have incorporated it even more after becoming aware of modern-day slavery. One place you can check isFree2Work. Granted it is just getting off the ground so it’s a little limited now, but it’ll grow. Sometimes you just have to do a little leg work and research to trace a product’s supply chain. I have even sent emails to stores I frequent asking about their products and policies, as well as encouraging them to stock more of these items. It takes some getting used to, but it does get easier with time…just like taking your own grocery bags into the store. If you aren’t sure where it comes from and how it’s sourced and made, try not to buy it. It’s always a good rule of thumb to buy fair trade or organic products, though. I realize this action also takes getting used to because it is more expensive. But if it’s cheap, there may be a good reason for it. It could very well be exploiting the laborers. Chocolate is a great example. It’s taken a lot of effort to make this switch in my life because anything that contains cocoa or chocolate may be harmful, and that includes A LOT of items, speaking as a chocoholic. I know I spend a lot of money on groceries and other items comparatively due to these choices, but I really want to not only feel good about the products, clothing, etc, that I use but I also want to do good with it. I want to know I’m not harming another individual’s life due to choices that I can control. My purchase power gives me a big voice.
I also recently finished listening to Not For Sale, the book by David Batstone that launched the organization. You can read an excerpt here: NotForSale_Introduction. It’s a remarkable and eye-opening book. I highly recommend. The organization’s main website also serves as a great resource and also has a small store of products that support them. I’m really proud to support this group, and count myself as an abolitionist among them.
Ok, that’s it! There was more but these are the highlights in my opinion. Read up and get involved! We could use your help!
I was really disappointed to learn this week that Groupon San Francisco has twice offered tours to Kink, a porn studio, as one of it’s discounted experience promotions. A friend shared an email with me from the organization, The War on Illegal Pornography, with the details.
Here’s what their email said:
For the second time, Groupon has sent out thousands of emails to individuals advertising a tour where people can view a live filming of sadomasochistic, torture porn at Kink’s studios. Groupon even advertises that groups may get to see a live filming in progress. When confronted about their choice to feature this company, Groupon defended it saying they thoroughly vet the businesses we feature…Fortunately, this business has proven to be a responsible member of their community.”
This “responsible member of the community” specializes in the live filming of “young sexy teens who are overwhelmed and outnumbered…who need to learn a lesson by multiple men;” of women being “bound, whipped, objectified and humiliated. They are immobilized, caged and humiliated as objects;” of women “suspended and tied in rope bondage…tormented beyond all reason;” and of women “naked, tied up, bound, punished, exposed in public…who are taken to public bars for public sex and public humiliation…” (The material in quotations are descriptions written by the porn site Groupon is advertising for.) Is this really corporate responsibility? Shouldn’t we demand that Groupon refrain from selling torture porn tours that exploit and degrade women?
You can see the link that was sent to me with widgets for sample letters to executives and executive emails here.
As you should when you get any kind of forwarded information, you should check it out for yourself before taking action in case the info is outdated or incorrect in some way. So I searched for the tour on their website but found nothing. I was encouraged thinking that maybe they’d removed it due to public pressure. So, I did a web search and found numerous articles of papers, websites and blogs covering the story and backing up the facts behind The War on Illegal Pornography’s claims. Again, so disappointed. I have loved Groupon from the beginning.
The next thing I did was to write in to Groupon’s customer service myself to see if I would get a different response to the claim, or maybe that they’d taken this offer off of their list both now and in the future.
Here’s what I received:
Hi, Kristi,
Thanks for your feedback. We certainly didn’t intend to offend anyone.
We strive to offer interesting and exciting deals that will appeal to our diverse customer base. We’ve run deals with this specific business before, and while we realize it may not appeal to everyone, we’ve received positive customer feedback on past offers.
We thoroughly vet the businesses we feature, which is why we take these concerns seriously. We’ve found that the tour offered in this deal is historical and informational in nature and provides a unique look inside the landmark San Francisco Armory and its past.
Your feedback is extremely important to use and makes an impact in how we choose which businesses to work with in the future. Thanks again for taking the time to share your concerns with us, and please know that we value your opinion as a customer.
Diane T
Groupon Customer Service
It is identical to the response posted on the aforementioned website. Gotta say, I was really bummed. They stood by their offer and it sounded like they have no intention of removing it as a future offer. I also checked out the public version of the facility’s tour description here.
So, I was left with only one alternative. I cancelled my Groupon subscription. I have been a big fan of Groupon since their launch, made multiple purposes and even forwarded deals to friends. But I can not in good conscious support a company that takes that stance. And I truly hope you will join me.
As consumers, the power of our money is the strongest vote we have. Speak now.
———————————————————————————————-
UPDATE ON JUNE 13, 2012 FROM MY FRIEND AMY:
Over the last month, 20,000+ people joined our boycott of coupon giant, Groupon because the company was selling coupons to visit a porn studio. We know of at least three businesses that stopped their deals because of Groupon’s decision to run ads for a torture porn company. In addition, 7 other national organizations joined the boycott too.
We are writing to tell you that the boycott worked!
This message was sent to us:
“Given all the feedback from partners like you, we reassessed not only consumer interest but also merchant opinion on these types of deals. It’s never our intention to offend customers or our business partners. Your feedback has been invaluable to us and executives are regularly informed of merchant response, both positive and negative. As a result of the feedback from the Armory deal, we have stopped running adult deals across the country.
The Playboy Mansion deal ran after the “non-adult” rule was enacted in the U.S. due to a process glitch. As soon as we became aware of it, the deal was immediately taken down.”
Be encouraged that 20,000+ people stood with you this time. We hope that you feel as motivated as we do to continue to challenge pornography and the pornification of our society where and when you see it. We do not have to simply accept the mainstreaming of pornography and the devastation that results from it. We can fight back!Please continue to learn more, spread the word and take action when and where you can!
Best,
Patrick Trueman
President & CEO, Morality in Media
P.S. Special thanks to the many of you who took action, as well as to our boycott partners: Citizens for Community Values, Girls Against Porn & Human Trafficking, American Family Association of Kansas and Missouri, Louisiana Family Forum Action, Illinois Family Institute, Women for Decency and Arizona Family Council.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
I’m not a Bible scholar. It took me a number of years to figure out the first sentence in that verse. For a long time, I thought the author had cheated and used the word in the definition. And now I certainly don’t profess that I have it nailed down, but over the last few years I have greatly grown in my understanding and appreciation for this verse.
As I get older I learn more and more what true freedom is all about. I heard a brilliant sermon many moons back where the speaker gave freedom in Christ this definition…it’s not the freedom to do anything you like. It’s the freedom to do anything you like under God’s law. You’ve already chosen God’s will and authority to guide your life, and you continue to choose to maneuver within it…or something like that but probably more poetic. The point is that your freedom has already been given to you. You decide what to do with it. So what will you do with it?
I’ve always had a special burden and ache in my heart for people groups who were oppressed, without freedom. I’m not sure exactly why; I guess it’s just the way God made me. I’d consider myself fiercely independent, so maybe the thought of losing that is too much to consider, or stand for. The Jews, Civil Rights, and modern-day slavery–it all just hits me in a way a lot of other atrocities don’t. It fascinates and confuses me. It makes me not only balk at the injustices that people can inflict or turn their eyes from, it constantly asks me what I would do; what I will do.
Over the last few months I’ve been studying Esther with my friend, Lauren. We’ve been going through Beth Moore’s study on Queen Esther, It’s Tough Being a Woman. Truthfully, I know this statement is borderline blasphemy, but I really don’t care for Beth Moore’s style. I’d tried one of her studies before and couldn’t even finish it. If Lauren hadn’t suggested it, I never would’ve opened it with that title. It’s just not for me. But I thought the overall content was really good, and I’ve taken away a lot of insight in the process. And it’s given me greater context for Esther’s story and the circumstances of the Jews at that time.
One of things I’ve been reminded of over and over again is that the Jews had assimilated into the culture. They were no longer living as Jews, God’s chosen people who were set apart. It was not until they were threatened with extinction did they kneel back down to pray. I don’t want to be like that, but darn it if that doesn’t describe me too much of the time. So, I ask myself, if I were living as a Jew at that time, would I be any different?
I also recently watched the movie Amistad. I don’t know how I’m just watching it. I should be ashamed. It was amazing. Nonetheless, yet again I’m presented with and captivated by a people who are oppressed, slaves. And there were bold and courageous people fighting on their side. So, I ask myself, if I were living at that time, what would I do?
But one thing I forget time and time again is that I have been a slave. Certainly not publicly oppressed or scoffed as the these people were, and as some people today are, but I was a slave to sin before I gave my life to Christ. Just as the Jews in Esther’s day, there is too much of life I’ve assimilated into when the truth is that I need to live more as a freed slave. My life of a slave is over, but it’s never to be forgotten.
The Jews had Purim, a time to annually remember the time God saved them from annihilation. And they partied. They still party. It’s a feast and festival, and time of joyful remembrance. And I have Easter, a day that marks not just the sacrifice, but the triumph over Hell with Jesus’ resurrection. Now that’s party worthy! I should be having that party every day in some way!
I know because I grew up as part of the church, which I’m thankful for, I have a great tendency to desensitize the Bible and my salvation. Like all things that aren’t new, and I love new things, I kinda forget how special they are. I kinda just take them for granted. I kinda just assimilate them into my life and move on, looking for the next shiny object to grab my attention.
There is a really powerful courtroom scene in Amistand where the highly underrated and always brilliant Djimon Honsou stands up and pleads to the court in the few words of English he’s learned in prison, “Give us, us freedom!” And he says it over and over again. (I balled like a baby. I’ve got to admit that there are times I’m just not in a good place and inside I’m yelling “Give us, us freedom!” I’m so confused and upset with God that I just don’t understand why I’m in a situation. But the truth is, I’m already a freed slave. My freedom has already been given. But how do I thank Him? How do I live? Why do I keep forgetting?
So I ask myself again, given what I know and who I am (a freed slave), what will I do?
I’ve decided that I will be a freed slave who works to free other slaves. As a Christian, I believe all freed slaves should be working to free others, both spiritually and physically. And I think we should assimilate less, and have Jesus parties a lot more.
Not For Sale Georgia Quarterly Meeting
Mental Post-Its 