Call for Action: March 28th

Big chocolate companies will collect huge profits this Easter, but many women cocoa farmers responsible for those chocolate eggs will continue to live in poverty.

Be part of the solution. Join Oxfam supporters as we call on Mondelez to respect women cocoa farmers outside their international headquarters in Deerfield, IL on Thursday, March 28. Through its brands like Oreo, Cadbury, and Toblerone, Mondelez is one of the world's biggest chocolate companies, giving it an incredible opportunity to improve the lives of women cocoa farmers and their families. Your help is needed to hold signs, wear costumes, deliver a petition, and simply be there to demonstrate that consumers care about the women around the world who grow the sweets we love.

Car pools may be available from northern suburbs and downtown Chicago, depending on interest.

Here's a look at how the day will go:

7:00 AM – Optional breakfast at Kevin's Place Restaurant at 808 N Waukegan Road in Deerfield, near the Deerfield Metra Station. Learn more about Oxfam's Behind the Brands campaign<http://www.behindthebrands.org> over breakfast. Free for those participating in the action later that morning.

7:45 AM – Leave from Kevin's Place to Mondelez Headquarters. Car pools available.

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM – Show support for women cocoa farmers and encourage Mondelez to win the Behind the Brands 'Race to the Top' as employees arrive for work. Please know that we will remain on public property and that this is not a protest.

Arrive when you can. Depart when you need to. Even a half hour of your time will help make an impact.

For questions, call pool inquires, and to RSVP, please contact Adam Olson at 734 546 6582 or aolson@oxfamamerica.org

Behind the Brands vs Chicago Blizzard

Below freezing temperatures, five inches of snow, near whiteout conditions . . . and gusts of wind strong enough to rip a 3 ft x 4 ft sign right out of your hand.

On Tuesday February 26^th, me and six other Oxfam Activists braved the elements to bring awareness to the relationship between corporate food practices and poverty, equality and environmental stewardship. Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign is a new initiate to encourage corporate food companies, such as Nestle and Mars, to improve their performance in a “race to the top”.

We stood at the entrance of the Mondelez headquarters in Deerfield, IL to show the employees of one of the world’s largest food corporations that we are not merely consumers of their food – we are also stakeholders in the global supply chain – and we care about where our food comes from. We recognize the pressure for profits. But we are here on the other end, providing pressure for people.  

We also stood on the highway outside of Mondelez’s headquarters – and held on tight to our signs - to raise consumer awareness. We even had one activist dressed up as an Oreo. Because in the end, it is us, the consumers, that have the ultimate power to demand that our food is sourced, grown, and manufactured in socially responsible ways.

The goal of the campaign is to let giant food corporations know that we are watching them, we are keeping score, and we expect them to take transparency, gender equality, farmer’s rights, and environmental conservation seriously.  


- Alicia Farag, Oxfam Volunteer