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The NGOs south wind and GLOBAL 2000 have subjected Austria's confectionery shelves to their annual chocolate Easter bunny check. A total of 30 hollow chocolate figures were assessed for compliance with minimum social and ecological standards and categorized according to traffic light colors. Around every second product already uses standards in at least one of the two areas - either ecological or social criteria - that go beyond the minimum legal requirements. Six of the 30 characters are convincing in both areas. Nevertheless, as in the previous year, every third product fails the eco-fair check.
With 11 out of 30, every third rabbit is rated red in both categories, as these products lack independent certification. It is noticeable that several very big brands can be found among the failed products, such as Milka, Lindt, Merci, Ferrero Rocher or After Eight. Heilemann, Klett, Hauswirth and Frey also do not have an independent certification.
In conventional cocoa cultivation, the exploitation of humans and nature are still the order of the day. “The big chocolate companies announced 20 years ago that they would take systematic action against exploitative child labor. Today we see that things are still going in the wrong direction“Says Südwind expert Angelika Derfler and refers to a current one University of Chicago study: “In the two top cocoa countries, Ivory Coast and Ghana, around 1,5 million children still have to work under exploitative conditions to support their families. They do not have the opportunity to go to school regularly and instead have to fiddle with sharp tools and carry heavy loads. “Both countries together are responsible for 60 percent of global cocoa production.
Here are the test results as PDF:
Greenpeace market check: more than half of the Easter egg colors are hazardous to health
And Greenpeace has reviewed the range of colored Easter eggs and products you can color yourself in Austrian supermarkets. While the already cooked and dyed eggs usually only contain harmless colors, the situation for products to be dyed by yourself is not very encouraging: 29 out of 54, i.e. more than half of the dyes, contain substances that are problematic for health, such as azo dyes. The well-known manufacturers of dye bags Brauns and Schimek, who changed their range this year, prove that there is another way. Greenpeace is now calling for the sale of all paints that are hazardous to health to be stopped. You can only be on the safe side at a supermarket at the moment: MPreis from Tyrol only offers harmless egg colors for self-coloring and takes first place in the “Easter” market check.
"Health-endangering substances in the colors do not belong in the Easter basket and certainly not in children's hands. Still producing and selling these products is unnecessary and irresponsible ”, says Lisa Panhuber, consumer expert from Greenpeace in Austria. The egg colors criticized by Greenpeace contain substances that are suspected of causing skin irritation, causing asthma and promoting ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder). Especially when dyeing with children, the colors often get on the skin. The colors can also get onto the egg through small cracks in the shell and are then consumed. Problematic products from well-known brands such as Fixcolor and Heitmann are available in most supermarkets. "The big supermarket chains now have to show responsibility and finally banish questionable Easter egg colors from their shelves," demands Lisa Panhuber.
Here is the test result for Easter eggs and colors:
Photo / Video: Mitja Kobal_Greenpeace.
