Contemplating chocolate before eating it seems like something quite odd to do, however it is important to take the time to consider the implications of our eating and in the words of Michal Pollan, consider how eating is a political act.

During my contemplative practice, I was struck mostly by the video about cacao farmer N’Da Alphonse in Ivory Coast, and his first ever taste of a chocolate bar. The reality – both convicting and surprising – that the man who grows the cocoa which is eaten all around the world as chocolate has never had the privilege of tasting his own product. I felt disturbed, confused, and frustrated thinking about the injustice that surrounds the growth and sales of chocolate. I also thought about globalization (which we often discuss in this class) and as depicted in the image below, how the system has ravaged many developing populations for the cost-benefit of first-world nations.

One of the ways in which globalization has impacted the world is in the centralized purchase of goods that settle for low prices, high efficiency, and large profits. This has resulted in what we call global capitalism, which is exemplified in the fact that 147 of the world’s corporations and investment groups controlled 40 percent of corporate wealth, and just over 700 control nearly all of it (80 percent). This corrupt version of capitalism monopolizes power and resources, often leaving farmers in developing countries behind with scathingly low pay, unsafe working conditions, long hours, and abusive child labor. In fact, around two million children work in dangerous conditions unpaid on cocoa plantations in West Africa. This brings into light even more the injustice and lack of food sovereignty that the global commodity food chain has created for the majority of developing countries around the world.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEN4hcZutO0 https://www.cornucopia.org/2008/11/michael-pollan-eating-is-a-political-act/ https://www.thoughtco.com/why-is-global-capitalism-bad-3026085 https://www.thoughtco.com/all-about-the-global-chocolate-industry-3026238