The season of sweets is right around the corner! While you may have to adjust your diet to allow for a few extra treats, you need not give up on your eco-morals. Fair-trade chocolates and organic, individually wrapped fruit treats are widely available.

In environmental circles, fair trade is brought up continuously each Halloween due to its impact on the chocolate market. In 2002, the U.S. State Department estimated that there are more than 200,000 child-age slaves working on chocolate plantations in West Africa. By buying fair trade chocolates, you are ensuring that farmers are getting a fair price for their goods and no inhuman working conditions exist on their farms (including child slavery). According to TransFair USA, less than 1% of the $13 billion chocolate market is certified fair trade. Sales of fair trade chocolate increased 78% from 2003 to 2004, providing that flavor and farm conditions are both important.

For parents and kids looking to further help trade conditions, they can take part in Global Exchange’s Reverse Trick-or-Treat program. Instead of going around, collecting sweets, you give out chocolates and informational cards about the state of the international cocoa market and its dangerous conditions. Schools, youth groups, religious congregations and local organizations are welcome to participate as well!

Buying organic all year round can surely have an impact on your pocketbook. Is it worth buying organic sweets to hand out Halloween? Of course! Non-organic chocolates often contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, preservatives and colors with questionable safety. By buying organic treats, you are bypassing all those dangers and feeding your kids (and yourself) clean, sustainable sweets that nurture the Earth

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There’s just one question that remains – where do you buy fair trade, organic Halloween treats? Below is just a small sample of the extensive sustainable sweets available, including websites where you can purchase them. Also make sure to search our Greenopia listings [http://www.greenopia.com/] for stores that sell eco-candy.

+ Global Exchange offers mini dark chocolate bars, milk chocolate gold coins, and fair trade trick-or-treat actions kids.

+ Equal Exchange has three different quantities of mini dark chocolate bars available, one of which comes in a beautiful fair trade smoked bamboo basket.

+ Endangered Species Chocolate'’s infamous Bug Bites are available by the box (64 pieces) in three different flavors: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and mint.

+ Yummy Earth has free shipping on all orders of their organic candy, including 12 different lollipop flavors and fruit-flavored candy drops.

+ Pure Fun offers all your favorite, classic candies in all-natural, locally made version, such as pinwheels, root beer barrels, lollipops and more.

+ Natural Candy Store is the one-stop online destination for organic, vegan, kosher, and gluten-free sweets! You name it, they’ve got it: gummi bears, jelly beans, mints, licorice, chocolate, caramels … etc.

+ Stretch Island Fruit Leather is a great alternative to chocolate, available in 10 different flavors with no added sugar.

+ Barbara’s Bakery will add some variety to your trick-or-treat bowl with her 100-calorie snack packs, cereal bars, and fruit & yogurt bars.