Conscious snacking with the chocolate Easter bunny check
Easter time is chocolate bunny time. Once again this year, the environmental protection organization GLOBAL 2000 and the human rights organization Südwind are joining forces once again to test chocolate Easter bunnies from Austria's supermarkets for social and ecological criteria - including evaluation using the tried-and-tested traffic light system. A total of 36 chocolate bunnies underwent the sustainability check this year.
At Easter, when chocolate consumption is particularly high, consumers can send a visible signal for more justice. The annual Easter Bunny Check published by Südwind and Global 2000 confirms this:
Organic and FAIRTRADE-certified products are the most sustainable choice in the Easter basket.
Once again this year, there are six test winners that have been awarded top marks in both categories: They bear both the FAIRTRADE seal and the EU organic seal.
The double green test winners are
- the EZA chocolate bunny from the world stores,
- the Billa organic Easter bunnies and
- the vegan Vegavita bunny from Spar,
- the Veggie and Natur Pur organic Easter bunnies from Spar and
- the BIO Natura chocolate bunny from Hofer.
"Our test winners this year are almost 'old acquaintances'. A constant commitment to ecologically and socially responsible chocolate Easter bunnies is rewarded. Not only in our test, but also from consumers, who are obviously concerned about transparent and independent monitoring. The companies also seem to be aware of this: The range of bunnies with ecological and social certificates is increasing," agree Gudrun Glocker, supply chain expert at Südwind, and Anna Leitner, resource spokesperson at GLOBAL 2000.
Lindt and Mondelez remain "problem children"
The "problem children" remain the industry giants Lindt and Mondelez. A total of eight bunnies received a double "red" rating - this is also due to the fact that large companies rely on in-house rather than independent sustainability initiatives.
These include the Easter bunnies from:
- Ferrero
- Ferrero kisses
- Milka
- Lindt&Sprüngli
- Wiwa
"Consumers must be able to understand the conditions under which the chocolate is produced. Corporate programs are no substitute for independent certifications. Unfortunately, corporate initiatives are often not transparent and there are often no independent checks on whether the criteria are being met during production," says Gudrun Glocker, supply chain expert at Südwind.
Fair chocolate as child protection
The price of cocoa is at an all-time high. At the beginning of April, the Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa-producing country, announced the new state harvest price for the off-season. With an increase of over 20% compared to the previous year, this is a decision with a signal effect for the international commodity markets - and for millions of cocoa farming families worldwide.
Most of the cocoa beans purchased by Austrian companies come from Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Child and forced labor are major problems in both countries, as are extremely low incomes for cocoa farmers despite record price levels.
In principle, higher prices are good for cocoa cooperatives. "But crop failures due to extreme weather conditions and pests also result in lower yields, which puts this into perspective," explains Hartwig Kirner, Managing Director of FAIRTRADE Austria. The climate crisis, lack of access to financing and lack of security of supply further exacerbate the situation. High prices lead to higher financing requirements for the cocoa cooperatives in order to buy the harvest volumes from the member families - a high burden for the entire cocoa supply chain.
Difficult situation for producers
Producers at the other end of the supply chain are also struggling with the difficult conditions on the raw materials markets. "It is currently not easy for Austrian chocolate manufacturers to deal with the high prices and uncertain harvest forecasts. This makes reliable, long-term and fair partnerships along the entire supply chainall the more important," says Kirner. FAIRTRADE promotes this with advice in the global producer network and knowledge exchange along the FAIRTRADE supply chains.
"I am very pleased that Austrian companies such as Manner, Heindl and Heidi - including food retailers with their own brands - are committed to fair trading conditions in challenging times," concluded Kirner.
