Infographic of the Week: Chocolate

Americans will purchase 5 percent of the year’s chocolate this week for Valentine’s Day – 58 million pounds of it for a whopping $345 million in revenue.  But where does that chocolate come from and how is it grown, picked, processed and shipped?  Sadly the reality of growing and making chocolate is often far less romantic and positive – particularly for children – than the commercials make it seem.

This week’s interactive infographic – brought to you by the GoodGuide – shows you the environmental and social score of various chocolates on the market.  Scoring at the top of the list with an average score of 9.05 is Alter Eco’s Blackout and Dark Cacao bars.  The lowest score of 3.43 went to Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate.

“The infographic shows the range of social and environmental responsibility (measured by hundreds of variables and a science-based framework) demonstrated by companies that produce chocolate,” says Sheila Viswanathan of GoodGuide. “It highlights that no matter what type of chocolate you prefer, it’s possible to do right by the planet and the people behind what you’re buying.”