Call us stereotypes, but my girlfriends and I love a good chocolate binge.

Living with two of my best friends (and our associated emotions) proved to me that there’s no tear a chocolate square cannot wipe away. It’s possible we’ve single-handedly kept the chocolate industry afloat in our nine months living together.

Making so many spontaneous trips to the store means I spent a good amount of time looking at chocolate bars. I started to notice certain bars had labels indicating they were “certified fair-trade.” I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt following me every time I opted for a bar that didn’t have one of those labels.

As a global citizen, I know my choices – even the late-night, emotional ones – matter on a global scale. Since I suspect my girlfriends and I aren’t the only ones who need chocolate on a regular basis, I did some research on what’s behind the labels. Somebody somewhere is harvesting the cocoa beans or making the chocolate, and as it turns out, many times it’s children working to meet the demand for chocolate, and they’re rarely paid or treated well.

To end harmful child labour practices, check out these three ways you can still enjoy a good chocolate binge responsibly.

Only buy chocolate that is certified with one of these labels.

In part, these labels mean the company has worked with a third party certifier to prevent and address child labour. That means they’re not forcing children to work for them, which makes their chocolate taste better.

Use the Good Chocolate Guide to learn which chocolate to buy.

Approximately 95% of the world’s chocolate is not certified to be free from the use of forced, child or trafficked labour. Y’all. That is a lot. For the math-resistant, that means for every 100 chocolate products you consume, only FIVE were made without some sort of corrupt labour practice. Totally unacceptable. Check out this guide  to know which kind of chocolate will satisfy your sweet tooth without hurting children.

Petition the International Cocoa Initiative to reduce the worst forms of child labour in the West African Cocoa industry.

West Africa produces a significant portion of the world’s cocoa supply. It also employs some of the worst child labour practices to sustain its prolific cocoa industry. The International Cocoa Initiative, formed by Ghana, Ivory Coast, the U.S. and several global chocolate companies, is working to reduce these harmful forms of child labour by 70% by 2020. You can take action and sign a petition to encourage the International Cocoa Initiative to aim even higher and continue working to end child slavery.

To learn more about how the chocolate you eat affects children, check out the infographic below. And the next time you’re feeling emotional, don’t forget to binge responsibly.

Go to the TAKE ACTION NOW To tell cocoa producers to end child labor. 

Written by Meredith Hastings