What would Jesus Say to Meaningful Chocolate company?
In these turbulent days of economic disasters with untold jobs being lost to the pandemic that is the coronavirus or COVID 19, it was most upsetting to see a post by Christian Today on the achievements of a chocolate company that sought to bring Jesus into the holy celebrations of Easter.
The article which can be read in full here, spoke in inspirational terms of the struggles of the Meaningful Chocolate Company in the UK to sell its Jesus-themed chocolates to supermarkets and how it is slowly gaining traction in the very competitive candy industry. Unfortunately for the tens of thousands of Christians that depend on palm oil to make a living, corporate positions like the Meaningful Chocolate Company’s are hurting their livelihoods.
The article which can be read in full here, spoke in inspirational terms of the struggles of the Meaningful Chocolate Company in the UK to sell its Jesus-themed chocolates to supermarkets and how it is slowly gaining traction in the very competitive candy industry. Unfortunately for the tens of thousands of Christians that depend on palm oil to make a living, corporate positions like the Meaningful Chocolate Company’s are hurting their livelihoods.
Screenshot from Meaningful Chocolate website
The website for Meaningful Chocolate company goes to great length to show how its source for cocoa, the main ingredient in its products, is associated with FairTrade. Under its product page for the “real easter egg” it emphasizes the fact the it is palm oil and plastic free. This same message was repeated in the interview when David Marshall, from the Meaningful Chocolate Company stated:
“We don't use palm oil in our Easter eggs; that's part of our ethical position. We're plastic-free, we're reducing the amount of cardboard we use in our packaging, and we don't put palm oil in our chocolate.”
Associating the noxious global problem of plastic wastes with palm oil is a shameful pandering to the popular marketing gimmick of being palm oil free. In choosing this gimmick to promote its sales, The Meaningful Chocolate company is sending out a hurtful message to the Christians that grow oil palm for a living that they are not relevant. It is a well-known fact that the Dayaks of Borneo and indeed, many of the tribes in Sumatra are Christians, who depend on the palm oil industry to lift themselves up from poverty.
How should these Christian farmers of palm oil react to Easter and Christmas chocolates that exclude the crop they grow for survival? Why shouldn’t they be part of the “Joy to The World Sharing-Box?”
What would Jesus say to this blatant exclusion of His followers from two of the most significant moments in His life?
What would Jesus say to The Meaningful Chocolate Company?
I don’t think He would have approved the exclusion of palm oil by The Meaningful Chocolate company. Not when His Followers have followed His Word and learnt to fish.
Published March 16, 2020. CSPO Watch
“We don't use palm oil in our Easter eggs; that's part of our ethical position. We're plastic-free, we're reducing the amount of cardboard we use in our packaging, and we don't put palm oil in our chocolate.”
Associating the noxious global problem of plastic wastes with palm oil is a shameful pandering to the popular marketing gimmick of being palm oil free. In choosing this gimmick to promote its sales, The Meaningful Chocolate company is sending out a hurtful message to the Christians that grow oil palm for a living that they are not relevant. It is a well-known fact that the Dayaks of Borneo and indeed, many of the tribes in Sumatra are Christians, who depend on the palm oil industry to lift themselves up from poverty.
How should these Christian farmers of palm oil react to Easter and Christmas chocolates that exclude the crop they grow for survival? Why shouldn’t they be part of the “Joy to The World Sharing-Box?”
What would Jesus say to this blatant exclusion of His followers from two of the most significant moments in His life?
What would Jesus say to The Meaningful Chocolate Company?
I don’t think He would have approved the exclusion of palm oil by The Meaningful Chocolate company. Not when His Followers have followed His Word and learnt to fish.
Published March 16, 2020. CSPO Watch