Trick or treat, trick or treat, give us something slavery-free to eat

September 24, 2018 7:30 AM

Where can I buy ethically-produced Halloween candy that kids (and I) will still enjoy? And yeah, it's gotta be the good stuff. Preferably chocolate.* Looking for suggestions of both products and retailers (both online and bricks-and-mortar). *My mom gave out boxes of raisins. I am not going to be that person.
posted by the_blizz to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Check out Equal Exchange's chocolate -- it's slavery-free and very tasty.
posted by ourobouros at 7:33 AM on September 24, 2018 [3 favorites]

You might want to look at Aldi - their imported chocolate is usually UTZ certified. IMO, it's also miles better than American chocolate. They have packs of half-sized chocolate bars year-round and I feel like I've seen some other stuff for Halloween.
posted by Frowner at 7:45 AM on September 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

Traidcraft have Hallowe´en-friendly stuff - fair-trade jellybeans! as well as their bars of v good chocolate.
posted by runincircles at 8:12 AM on September 24, 2018

HuffPost ran an article on this, though I have to say their choices seem pretty expensive. You've probably already tried this, but I googled "ethical candy" and lots of stuff showed up.
posted by ubiquity at 8:34 AM on September 24, 2018

OCHO is fair trade. They make minis. We gave them out two years ago and they were tasty.
posted by expialidocious at 8:48 AM on September 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Looking for American-made (I'm assuming you are in the U.S.) candies that skips or responsibly sources problematic ingredients like palm oil or chocolate seems like a good option. Lollipops are a fave in my book but your family might find them too dull.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:41 AM on September 24, 2018

Do you have a budget we should keep in mind? Theo's chocolate (organic/slavery free/made in Seattle) have PB cups and the DELICIOUS Tony's has mini bars, but they're both like $2-2.50 a pop. You'd be the super fancy house if you gave them out but for your own family and friends they're a nice party favor.

There are some non-chocolate ideas here that are pretty great.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:10 AM on September 24, 2018

Last year I made popcorn balls to give out.
I live in a small neighborhood. I wrapped the popcorn balls in plastic wrap and put on a sticker with "My by the plinths."
posted by plinth at 11:48 AM on September 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

(Please remember too that some parents will throw out anything homemade. I would have loved plinth's popcorn balls, but no way would I have been allowed to eat something made by a stranger.)
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:47 PM on September 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Adding another vote for non-chocolate options! Blow Pops, Smarties, Pixy Stix, gummy bears / fancy Haribo stuff, Starbursts, Skittles, Sprees, SweeTarts, Airheads and the like all rank pretty well on the childhood roster of good candy, and some of them are vegan and food-allergy-friendly into the bargain. (Some may contain palm oil or derivatives, I suppose, so that's something to look for.)

Unreal also makes a variety of classics (peanut butter cups M&M-esque candies and the like) and they're reasonably easy to find in many US stores. I know in past years they've had bulk individual packs for Halloween.
posted by halation at 2:44 PM on September 24, 2018