Hershey, Mars & Nestle: Stop Child Labor!

Since 2001, chocolate consumers around the world have voiced their concern about child labor and trafficking on cocoa farms in West Africa. Despite millions of dollars and tons of public relations campaigns over the years, the worst forms of child labor and trafficking continue to occur in the cocoa supply chains of major US chocolate companies like Hershey, M&M/Mars and Nestle. We've heard the same talking points from these companies for years about how they are working together as an industry to stop child labor, but their lack of progress to date is unacceptable. For more information about industry initiatives to date, please see ILRF's most recent cocoa report.

Please join us today in getting beyond the talking points and asking Hershey, M&M/Mars and Nestle what each company is doing specifically to ensure they are respecting internationally recognized labor rights in their cocoa sourcing.

Tell me more

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

Since 2001, chocolate consumers around the world have been very concerned about the conditions facing cocoa farmers in West Africa.  Reports of the worst forms of child labor and trafficking, as well as the general poor economic and social conditions facing farmers, continue to emerge many years after your company signed on to the Harkin-Engel Protocol.

I am aware of the initiatives your company has supported through various chocolate industry associations.  I know about your funding for projects throughout West Africa (such as the International Cocoa Initiative, the World Cocoa Foundation and the Sustainable Tree Crops Program), the government survey project and the verification process through Verit� and the International Cocoa Verification Board.  I am also aware of the industry commitments announced in July 2008 including increasing "certification" throughout Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire's cocoa sectors in 2010 which will "ideally, over time... indicate an improvement in the status of child and adult labor practices."  Despite all of these programs, I still do not feel assured that the chocolate I buy from your company is made by workers and farmers whose rights are fully respected.

Now I want to know what YOUR company specifically is doing to ensure that your cocoa beans are not made using the worst forms of child labor and other forms of exploitative labor.  Can you please tell me the specific commitments and supply chain management initiatives your company is using to ensure you are complying with international labor standards?

After eight years of scrutiny, I look forward to learning more about the specific work you are doing to ensure that your candy bars are made without trafficked and/or child labor.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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