As Easter puts cocoa in the spotlight, the Fairtrade Foundation is calling on the UK Government to introduce a mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) law to provide protection for cocoa farmers and workers around the world from poor working conditions, volatile prices and exposure to environmental harms. 

Whilst some chocolate companies are already doing the right thing, many are not. Without additional regulation and investment, many cocoa farmers and other agricultural workers will continue to remain exposed to low incomes, human rights abuses and environmental harms across global supply chains.

New Fairtrade research involving almost 500 cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire found 58% said climate change impacts on production (including changing weather, pests and disease) are their biggest challenges as farmers. In many cocoa-growing countries, climate change has driven increasingly volatile prices and deepening financial instability for farming communities. With one of the busiest chocolate-buying moments of the year fast approaching, Fairtrade is urging shoppers to look for the FAIRTRADE Mark and is calling on the public to sign its petition demanding decisive government action to ensure cocoa supply chains are fair to both people and planet.

This call for change comes at a time when rising chocolate prices are also reshaping what UK shoppers choose to buy. New consumer research from Kantar, commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation for the next phase of its Do it Fair campaign, Fair to People, reveals that two thirds (65%) of UK adults have changed their chocolate-buying habits in the past year due to rising prices. Over a third (35%) say they are buying less chocolate, while 3% report they have stopped buying it altogether.

Despite this shift in purchasing behaviour, most chocolate buyers remain unaware of the challenging realities behind their favourite treats. One in four (25%) believe the cocoa in their Easter eggs is grown by farmers earning more than £10 a day. In reality, most will be earning less than the international poverty line of around $3 a day, leaving them unable to support their family and farms. The survey also shows strong public support for fairer treatment of cocoa growers. More than half of UK adults (54%) say they would be willing to pay more for chocolate if it guaranteed fairer pay and rights for farmers (rising to 73% among 16–34 year olds).

These findings come amid extreme volatility in global cocoa markets. Prices surged in 2024 and 2025, driven by climate change, erratic weather, and a rise in pests and diseases that devastated harvests in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire - the world’s largest cocoa-producing countries. Prices have since dropped for a range of reasons, including weaker demand and increased global supply, but geopolitical instability is fueling fresh concerns about renewed volatility. That volatility is already having profound consequences for cocoa-growing communities.

Many farmers who are already living on extremely low incomes face even greater uncertainty, and many urgently need long-term investment to build resilience. Choosing Fairtrade chocolate helps ensure their families can thrive through the Fairtrade Minimum Price and additional sums of money to invest in their farm or communities, and offering training and programmes that address human rights and environmental challenges. 

Fairtrade Foundation’s Senior Sustainable Sourcing Manager for Cocoa, Marina El-Hasni said: 

“Most people aren’t aware of the exploitation and challenges faced by cocoa farmers. And even if chocolate prices ease for consumers, the long-term future of our favourite Easter treat will remain in jeopardy without meaningful investment, living incomes, longterm contracts and regulation that holds businesses accountable for tackling human rights and environmental harms in their cocoa supply chains. Ensuring farmers are paid fairly, especially when prices are volatile, has never mattered more.

“This Easter, we are urging people to look for the Fairtrade Mark on their Easter eggs so they can enjoy the chocolate knowing that farmers have been supported with fairer pay, investment in their communities and farms. And as the Government concludes its Responsible Business Conduct Review, we urge Ministers to put fairness for farmers and workers at the heart of UK supply chains by introducing a new responsible business law.”  

One young cocoa farmer, Dora Atiiga, from Kukuom Union co-operative in Ghana, is bringing about positive change in her community. Dora’s leadership journey began when she joined Fairtrade’s Women’s School of Leadership. 

“Since then my life has changed… I am now able to advocate on living income and climate action… without fear or panic,” she said.  

The practical training in financial management, confidence‑building and project planning helped her understand not only her rights as a woman, but also her potential as a community leader. As she gained leadership experience, Dora began identifying issues in her own community. 

“Since there was no school for little children in my community, I decided to start one as a dream,” she explained. 

The school is now registered with around 170 students, eight teachers, and a cook - offering free care and education to families in her community.  

- END - 

Notes to Editors:

• Contact - For more information and interviews, please contact:

  Laura Ouseley 
  Laura.ouseley@fairtrade.org.uk,
  +44 (0)7909 875 956,

  Martine Parry 
  Martine.Parry@fairtrade.org.uk or media@fairtrade.org.uk

• Early findings from a new snapshot survey with 488 cocoa farmers in Côte d'Ivoire, carried out by the Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade Africa. The survey was gathered through ‘FairVoice’, a tool developed by Fairtrade which allows farmers and workers to share their experiences directly through their mobile devices:

• The biggest challenge cocoa farmers said they are facing at the moment was the impact of climate change on production (e.g. changing weather and pests and diseases): 58% said it was the biggest challenge facing their farm.

• Almost three quarters (73%) of cocoa farmers said they only sometimes or never have enough money to support their families with the essentials, including nutritious food every day, clean water, a good home, good education and medicine.

• Survey - Kantar, Total sample 1279 (GB 16+), Fieldwork dates 3-5 February 2026.

• Photos of Dora Atiiga and other cocoa farmers are available here: 2026 Cocoa Photo Collection

• Petition - Fairtrade is calling for a new UK law on responsible business. The UK is expected to conclude its review into Responsible Business Conduct in March, including its consideration of a mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD). Fairtrade’s petition ‘Demand Business That's Fair to People and Planet’ can be signed here.

• About Fairtrade cocoa - Choosing Fairtrade chocolate ensures cocoa farmers and their families thrive by paying them a Minimum Price, additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in their farm or community, and support through training and programmes addressing human rights and environmental challenges. 

• Fairtrade cocoa farmers are paid a Fairtrade Minimum Price for their goods, which acts as a safeguard when market prices drop. Organic production is incentivised with a higher Minimum Price. 

• On top of the Minimum Price, farmer organisations also receive a Fairtrade Premium, which they invest in projects of their choice. Many farmers have used the Premium to improve their businesses and production, replacing old trees and investing in better facilities for crop collection, storage and transport, or processing. In 2024, Fairtrade cocoa cooperatives earned €73.3 million in Fairtrade Premium.  

• Fairtrade’s pioneering work in developing a Living Income Strategy, setting Living Income benchmarks and Reference Prices and the financial interventions of the Fairtrade minimum price (a safety net for farmer organisations when market prices fall) and the Fairtrade premium payments, exist to move cocoa farmers out of extreme poverty and towards living incomes.   

• Fairtrade programmes such as the Women’s School of Leadership and the West Africa Cocoa Programme. 

• Fairtrade’s Shared ImPact scheme seeks to make a huge difference to the lives of cocoa farmers, giving them the stability and long-term contracts they need to be able to invest in their sustainability. 

• About - Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions, and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in low-income countries. Visit: fairtrade.net/uk-en