What would life be like without rich, creamy, mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate? Life would be bitter for most Americans. They spend about $13 billion a year buying all sorts of chocolate treats. However, for the African children who toil under slavelike conditions on cacao plantations, life is not sweet. The cacao bean is the main ingredient in the chocolate. According to a 2002 survey by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the US Agency for International Development, about 284,000 children work in dangerous conditions on cacao farms in western Africa. More than half those children are younger than 14. Many were sold into forced labor to work 12 hours or more a day on the cacao plantations. A number of international organizations, including several African governments, recently began a program to eliminate  child labor on cacao plantations. Under the program, government officials will remove children from abusive working situations while teaching farmers about child labor issues. The program will also make borrowing money easier for cacao farmers. Officials hope farmers will use the money to invest in their farms and hire paid laborers. The cacao bean is the main ingredient in    _   .
treats coffee chocolate cigarettes