With Halloween approaching, many of our readers want to avoid contributing to the problem of childhood obesity in America-approximately 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents now have obesity-or child labor on cacao plantations around the world. Recent reports show that 1.56 million children are engaged in child labor on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce nearly 60% of the world's cocoa.
the U.S. cereal market was worth over $13.5 billion in 2024 (per Grand View Research. While many of us grew up with Toucan Sam, Lucky the Leprechaun, Count Chocula, and other iconic food brand mascots, those colorful characters aren't welcome everywhere - at least, not anymore. Even seemingly harmless Kellogg's Corn Flakes have been banned in some countries, partly for health reasons and partly because of its mascot, Cornelius the Rooster.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.