Expelliarmus! Harry Potter chocolate goes Fair Trade

Warner Bros, the studio behind the “Harry Potter” movies, is moving forward with plans to make all Harry Potter chocolate sold at Warner Bros outlets and through their licensed partners 100% UTZ or Fair Trade. The announcement in the US follows a four-year, fan-led effort by the Harry Potter Alliance.

The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) originally launched the campaign in 2010 when Warner Bros’ chocolate supplier, Behr’s Chocolate, received an “F” for its supply chain from an independent report. Fans sent cease and desist letters and “muggle howlers” encouraging the studio to ensure its licensees were not using child slave labour to produce the chocolate being sold in Harry Potter’s name.

The HPA even started marketing and selling its own Fair Trade Chocolate Frogs and last year Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling took up the cause.

Warner Bros. has now pledged to make all of its Harry Potter chocolate products UTZ or Fair Trade by the end of 2015.

HPA co-founder Andrew Slack said of the breakthrough: “Albus Dumbledore told the students of Hogwarts that there are times where we must choose between 'what is right and what is easy.' Warner Bros has chosen to do the right thing and Harry Potter fans everywhere should take pride knowing that because of their efforts, the chocolate sourcing for Harry Potter products will match the values of the book series.”