Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

"While there is little doubt that slavery and abusive labor practices exist in cacao farms in Western Africa..." If we acknowledge that illegal abuses of workers are widespread in the cocoa industry, are we "politicizing" the issue by trying to talk about the problem and discussing solutions? I would argue that ignoring the problem, pretending it does not exist and blindly buying up products that we know are made under abusive labor conditions, is also a political act. Going with the status quo and remaining silent on the issue means that we are supporting the current system which we acknowledge as problematic. So, I think it is important to be openly discussing potential solutions and that is not "politicizing" a holiday because the way we typically celebrate this holiday is already part of a political-economic system -- the candy doesn't just magically appear devoid of any political context.