It’s that time of year again! It’s the first week of October -- Fair Trade Candy Buying Week. It’s a troubling task: if I wait much longer, local stories will be sold out and online purchases may not ship in time. But when I buy early, I have candy sitting around my house for three weeks. If you can handle the weeks of chocolate-covered torment in your own kitchen cupboards, I recommend stocking up! Despite decades of promises of reform from the major chocolate companies, child labor is still rampant in the chocolate industry. A June 2019 article from the Washington Post on the chocolate industry’s missed deadlines said, “the odds are substantial that a chocolate bar bought in the United States is the product of child labor.”  Chocolate is also implicated in deforestation and poverty in West Africa. Chocolate isn’t the only troublesome ingredient; sugar and vanilla, and especially palm oil -- Indonesia is burning right now as rainforests are continually cleared for palm oil plantations --  have troubling stories as well. Last week, allegations surfaced that Ferrero (makers of Nutella) buys its hazelnuts from farms that use child labor.  But consumers can vote with their dollars. Labor and environmental concerns are largely addressed by third-party certifications like Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance -- find certified products here, here, and here. How do you celebrate a socially and environmentally sustainable Halloween?  Share your story on our Facebook page. In the meantime, here are some reads from MCN staff.

Amy forwarded the shocking story of a doctor reportedly murdering Puerto Ricans and getting away with it: “The Complicated Relationship Between Puerto Rico And US Mainland.”

Jess offered up a new report, “In a Statewide Disparity, More Latino Children Lack Health Insurance.”

Alma shared another California-centered piece, “California Migrant Workers Complain About Wage Theft.”

Claire sent an NPR segment about Eastern Equine Encephalitis, “Rare, But Potentially Deadly, Mosquito Disease Changes Life In Massachusetts.”

Weekly Win: Giovanni sent around the New York Times article, “Deportations Reduce Crime? That’s Not What the Evidence Shows.”

Have a safe and healthy weekend.

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