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Christmas market in Mering: Fairtrade Santa Clauses for over 100 children!
On December 5th, Santa Claus and Krampus distributed fair chocolate Santa Clauses at the Christmas market in Mering to give joy and raise awareness of fair trade.
Christmas market in Mering: Fairtrade Santa Clauses for over 100 children!
On December 5th, the traditional St. Nicholas Day, the Christmas market in Mering was transformed into a festive scenario when Pastor Markus Krause, dressed as Knecht Ruprecht, and Mayor Florian A. Mayer, as St. Nicholas, presented over 100 children with fair trade chocolate Santa Clauses. This campaign, organized by the Mering Fairtrade community, not only aimed to spread joy, but also to draw attention to the importance of fair trade. The Santa Clauses came from the local world shop, which offers products produced under fair conditions, and the children had the opportunity to take photos with the popular Christmas characters.
In many households, chocolate Santa is one of the indispensable traditions of St. Nicholas Day. But as NDR reports, not every chocolate figure is fair trade. The origin of the cocoa used is often not considered when purchasing. A frightening fact is that children in producing countries are often involved in the cocoa harvest. Conditions for many cocoa farmers are often inhumane, and despite chocolate's global popularity, many of these producers live in poverty.
The challenges of growing cocoa
Around six million people worldwide rely on cocoa cultivation, with Côte d'Ivoire being the largest producer and exporter of cocoa. Harvesting is labor-intensive: ripe cocoa pods must be carefully collected and fermented before they can be used for chocolate production. Despite the effort, many cocoa farmers have often never had the chance to enjoy chocolate, which highlights the injustice in the cocoa sector.
Santa Claus symbolizes charity and helpfulness, and the initiative in Mering is helping to raise awareness of the reality of cocoa farming. As Fairtrade also emphasizes, it is crucial that consumers support fair trade products. Fairtrade advocates for fair trading conditions and offers regulated support for cocoa farmers.
The campaign in Mering is a step in the right direction, not only delighting children but also raising important questions about fair trade. It remains to be hoped that such initiatives will become even more widespread and that awareness will be created for fair and just trading practices when dealing with everyday products.