The James Logan Courier

By Alexa Rocero, Courier Staff Writer

Every Halloween, youth of all ages rule the nighttime, running from door to door in search of free candy. This year, however, Logan teacher Michelle Galaria is proposing something a little different, called a “reverse trick-or-treat.”

A reverse trick-or-treat is where a student, in the event of receiving a piece of chocolate as a treat, would in turn hand the giver a flier. This flier explains how most chocolate companies do not follow fair trade laws. They would then hand their neighbor a piece of fair trade chocolate and encourage them to buy it in the future.

To tell if the chocolate you find at the store is fair trade, it must bear the fair trade symbol. This symbol ensures that in the process of manufacture that all labor laws were followed. These laws include paying minimum wage, limiting number of hours workers are forced to work, and child labor restrictions. Without this symbol, it means that the company was able to have ignored those laws, forcing countless people into poverty and placing children in harm's way in the process. Companies such as Hershey's and Nestle, for example, are not fair trade.

Galaria was inspired to bring this reverse trick-or-treat by the Sustainability Club she is involved in. They explained to her the idea, and she thought that it would work even better with the amount of students at Logan. She is hoping that many students will participate this Halloween. Fair trade candy can be bought at grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, as well as places that have just jumped on the fair trade band wagon like Starbucks.

A complete list can be found on globalexchange.org, where you can learn more about fair trade and print out fliers to hand out this Saturday. So visit the site and stay tuned for other ways you can get involved to increase global awareness.