Problems With Chocolate
There is a big problem with chocolate production that many people may not realize. The mass production of chocolate another main reason for the changes in the environment and habitats. The issues from the chocolate production is that it has multiple ingredients that makes the problem widespread. Chocolate contains cocoa powder that comes from the beans grown all across Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and parts of West Africa. Inside is also sugar that comes from stalks or sugar beets grown in America, Brazil, Europe, China and India. As well as those ingredients it also contains milk from cows which also contribute to the issue with having too many massive farms and cow grazing on more acres of land. This brings up a whole new problem in itself involving the effects of cows/beef. Not to mention the plastic and the wrappers that make trash and waste that can't be recycled. Chocolate production itself is not harmful when done traditionally, but because it has been industrialized it has affected many different species in areas where most chocolate is exported from. For example, 41% of chocolate is shipped out of the Ivory Coast, 13% out of Ghana, and 11% out of Indonesia. In all these areas, a large amount of primates, including the West African Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), have lost 57% of its kind due just to cocoa harvest and expansion.
Another problem from chocolate production is that ⅓ of the cacao pods (the main ingredient of chocolate) is lost due to pests and molds quickly spreading among other pods. To fight these diseases and fungus such as Crinipellis perniciosa farmers spray pesticides and fungicides, poisoning the pods itself and making dangerous for human consumption. This has also huge affect on families who work to grow these beans, for some harvests that are not plentiful can result in less pay for the cacao farmers. Another problem that should be taken to consideration is the common use of child labor. |
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