Give your Valentine chocolate that changes lives!

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Feb 07, 2014, 10:06 ET

BALTIMORE, Feb. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- When you buy chocolate for Valentine 's Day, you'll be contributing to a global business worth over $83 billion a year - or larger than the economies of 130 nations. According to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), if you choose Fair Trade chocolate you'll make a direct impact in the lives of cocoa growers in some of the world's poorest countries.

Fair Trade farmer from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana. (Credit: Pete Pattisson). (PRNewsFoto/Catholic Relief Services) (PRNewsFoto/CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES)

Variety of Divine Chocolate. (Credit: SERRV). (PRNewsFoto/Catholic Relief Services) (PRNewsFoto/CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES)

"Fair Trade is based on the principles of paying a fair wage to producers, providing safe working conditions and investing in communities," said Courtney Lare of CRS' Fair Trade program. "Buying Fair Trade chocolate guarantees that cocoa farmers receive a fair price for their crop."

Fair Trade chocolate changes lives. Consider the following:

Close to 50 million people are dependent on cocoa worldwide for their livelihood
Women on fair trade farms have better access to health care, job rights and freedom from harassment
90% of the world's cocoa is grown on 5.5 million small farms
West Africa produces 70% of the world's cocoa and comes from farmers that generally make less than $0.50 per day
The Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana has nearly 60,000 Fair Trade farmers, all of whom are co-owners of Divine Chocolate and receive a fair wage

Place your order with Catholic Relief Services' partner SERRV before Feb. 12, and you will receive your Fair Trade chocolate on time for Valentine's Day! You can also look for the Fair Trade logo on chocolates bars sold in grocery stores around the country.

More than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy are sold during Valentine's week in the U.S. Make sure your purchase changes lives.

Courtney Lare, CRS' Fair Trade expert is available for comment.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in 91 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. For more information, please visit crs.org or crsfairtrade.org, follow CRS on Facebook at Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade; on Twitter at @CatholicRelief and @CRSFairTrade; and on YouTube.