by Eli Olevsky, May 3, 2024

Consider the chocolate bars you grew up eating. Many of us have fond memories associated with our favorite brands. An exposé by The Washington Post written by Peter Whoriskey and Rachel Siegel revealed that much of the cocoa we buy from major chocolate companies such as Mars, Nestlé, and Hershey begins with child labor. Additionally, the article points out the lack of reduction in child labor, despite pledges from the companies themselves to end child slavery in cocoa plantations such as those in the Ivory Coast in West Africa (Whoriskey and Siegel). This essay will seek to shed light on the inhumane child slavery practices within the cocoa industry, its connections to the chocolate company giants, as well as their subsequent failures to reduce and end those affiliations. Since companies cannot be relied on to change tactics out of the goodness of their hearts, it will ultimately be upon the shoulders of the masses to effect change as they are the primary consumers of these tainted products and can bring about true change by targeting their bottom lines. Once a strategy is no longer profitable, exploitative corporations are forced to change or amend their approaches as proven by numerous successful boycotts and awareness campaigns I will mention in this essay. 

Unfortunately, the presence of child slavery in the cocoa industry is not a recent revelation. It is estimated that 25-50% of children within Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire worked in Cocoa as the results of 2007 and 2008/9 surveys. Despite this, only 5% of children in Côte d’Ivoire and 10% in Ghana worked for pay (Payson Final Report 2011). Comparatively, The Department of Labor reports that currently, “there are 1.56 million children in child labor with 43 percent engaged in hazardous work in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana”. Additionally, the site lists several dangers of working in these fields, such as chemical exposure, burning fields, sharp tools, and lifting heavy loads (Child Labor in Cocoa). The initial article by The Washington Post described the kind of work children were put to, stating, “There is land to be cleared, typically with machetes; sprayings of pesticide; and more machete work to gather and split open the cocoa pods. Finally, the work involves carrying sacks of cocoa that may weigh 100 pounds or more” (Whorisky and Siegal). A follow-up survey from Tulane University presenting the statistics as of 2013-14 mentioned that these children experienced many types of injuries. The injuries included wounds and cuts, broken bones, burns, snake bites, back pain, muscle pain, and several more (Payson Final Report 2015). Moreover, a 2020 report by NORC found the percentage of children working in cocoa exposed to agrochemicals increased from 15% to 50% in both regions (Sadhu et al.).

In a 2001 congressional record, an article was included in which a reporter details the conditions of working on the Ivory Coast as a child laborer, detailing, “Most of them are 12 to 16 years old. Some are as young as 9. The slaves live on corn paste and bananas. Some are whipped, beaten, and broken like horses to harvest the almond size beans”. The article goes on to a particular account from a consul general in an Ivorian Coast town, reading: 

They called Abdoulaye Macko, who was then the Malian consul general… he found the 19 boys and young men there. Aly, the youngest, was 13. The oldest was 21. “They were tired, slim, they were not smiling.” Macko said. “Except one child was not there. This one, his face showed what was happening. He was sick; he had (excrement) in his pants. He was lying on the ground, covered with cacao leaves because they were sure he was dying. He was almost dead. . . . He had been severely beaten.’ According to medical records, other boys had healed scars as well as open, infected wounds all over their bodies (107th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION).

The important question to ask after these realizations of child slavery within regions that supply 60% of the world’s cocoa is “What is being done to prevent this?” (Child Labor in Cocoa). In 2001, the Harkin-Engel protocol was established to remove the worst forms of child labor in the growing and processing of cocoa beans. This protocol was signed by several major chocolate companies such as Hershey Food Corporation, Nestlé Chocolate and Confections USA, M&M/Mars Inc., and several more (Harkin Engel Protocol). Despite the protocol, according to The Washington Post Article mentioned before, “The world’s chocolate companies have missed deadlines to uproot child labor from their cocoa supply chains in 2005, 2008 and 2010” (Whoriskey and Siegel).  The 2015 report by Tulane University presenting data between their 2008/09 and 2013/14 surveys noted that children working in cocoa production increased from 1,817,278 to 2,260,407 between the two survey dates (Payson Final Report 2015). The 2020 NORC report also cited, “In Côte d’Ivoire the prevalence rate of hazardous child labor in cocoa production… increased from 23 percent in 2008/09 to 37 percent in 2018/19, while in Ghana….increased from 43 percent in 2008/09 to 51 percent in 2018/19” (Sadhu et al.).

Two decades after the Harkin-Engel Protocol, these chocolate corporations have implemented initiatives to identify child labor within the supply chain and eliminate it. According to Mars’ Cocoa For Generations sustainability plan, they commit to “prevent and mitigate human rights issues…Ensure 100% of our cocoa is responsibly sourced globally and is traceable (from the farmer to the first point of purchase) by 2025” (Cocoa for Generations). Hershey’s Cocoa For Good plan indicates, “we are expanding the coverage of our Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS)…as we aim for 100% coverage of our Cocoa For Good farms by 2025” (Tejada Chavez). Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan echoed a similar tone: “We sourced, in 2022, 68.3% of our cocoa volumes from the Nestlé Cocoa Plan with the aim of reaching 100% by 2025” (Nestle Cocoa Plan). 

To understand the degree to which these companies can be trusted to create any real impact and change, the Washington Post article previously mentioned compiled the relationships between the percent of cocoa that is currently certified by these corporate chocolate giants and the traceable amount. For Mars, “around 50 percent of its cocoa is certified by Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance”, but only “24 percent is traceable to the farmer level”. Hershey’s claims to have had “80 percent certified at the end of 2018”, while “less than half” is traceable to its source. For Nestlé, however, it has been shown that in the Ivory Coast, 80% of their cocoa that is certified is also traceable to the source (Whoriskey and Siegel). 

Striving for 100% traceable cocoa, while a step in the right direction, does not guarantee any meaningful results as the sourcing of chocolate is done through faulty fair trade certification companies. What good is being able to trace cocoa beans to their source, if the supposedly “certified” source still has instances of child labor harvesting those beans? A 2019 report done by the Corporate Accountability Lab noted, “a BBC investigation found children, including trafficked children, working on Fairtrade certified plantations in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. The Kuapo Kokoo cooperative…an Ivorian coop supplying to Nestlé, were both certified Fairtrade” (Empty Promises). A more recent investigation done by the Corporate Accountability Lab in 2021 found that, 

in December 2020, investigators saw a little girl working on a certified farm near Aboisso, carrying cocoa pods on her head. The investigators learned that this farm sold their cocoa beans to the CNEK cooperative, which is certified by both Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade International…That same December, the investigators spoke with a small boy who was carrying a large bag of cocoa pods to an assembly point on a farm near Abengourou. This farm, they learned, sold its cocoa to the FAHO cooperative that was certified by UTZ through August 2021 and is certified by Fairtrade International (Brudney).

Not only do these certifications fail to adequately reduce the amount of child labor in the cocoa industry, but certified farms in the Ivory Coast were found to be even more likely to have child laborers than other plantations (Whoriskey). The reliance on these certification companies by major global chocolate corporations despite these third-party inspectors only being “required to visit fewer than 10% of cocoa farms”, according to The Washington Post, demonstrates a lack of trustworthiness in these chocolate companies efforts’ to address the still pervasive child slavery in the cocoa industry (Whoriskey and Siegel). It is only symptomatic of the increase in child labor in the cocoa industry over the years.

Despite the prevalence of information highlighting the cruel environments for many children in West Africa, progress has been bafflingly slow to remedy it. Their inability to meet deadlines over the last two decades, coupled with their use of completely unreliable certifications is beyond problematic. Due to this, it seems hard to believe that chocolate companies such as Hershey, Mars, and Nestlé have every intention of demonstrating a major change in their supply chain habits to create 100% ethical chocolate production by 2025. Fueled by the increasing numbers of children put in danger to create the products they sell, they need to be held accountable for their inaction.

Several campaigns have been previously successful at changing corrupt industries for the better. An example of this includes the campaign against Nike in the 90s to end the use of child labor and sweatshops in its overseas factories which resulted in reforms and improvements in working conditions within the supply chain (Klein). Another notable example is the Accord on Fire and Building Safety established in Bangladesh, which was established after the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013. The tragedy resulted in the death of 1000 garment factory workers as a result of poor working conditions. Due to increased pressure as a result of public outcry and divestment, the regulation led to major brands, trade unions, and NGOs coming together to implement safety inspections, training programs, and remediation efforts in garment factories (The Bangladesh Accord). We as consumers must speak out against this, for these companies rely on our money to make their chocolates. With our voices and without our funding, they will have no choice but to listen. 

Works Cited

Brudney, Allie. “CAL Finds Evidence of Child Labor on Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms.” Corporate Accountability Lab, 25 Oct. 2021, corpaccountabilitylab.org/calblog/2021/10/25/cal-finds-evidence-of-child-labor-on-rainforest-alliance-certified-farms. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Bureau of International Labor Affairs. “Child Labor in the Production of Cocoa.” DOL, 2024, www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/our-work/child-forced-labor-trafficking/child-labor-cocoa. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

“Cocoa for Generations | Mars, Incorporated.” MARS, 2024, www.mars.com/sustainability-plan/cocoa-for-generations. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Corporate Accountability Lab. “Empty Promises: The Failure of Voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives to Improve Farmer Incomes in the Ivorian Cocoa Sector.” Square Space, July 2019, static1.squarespace.com/static/5810dda3e3df28ce37b58357/t/5d321076f1125e0001ac51ab/1563562117949/Empty_Promises_2019.pdf. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

“Harkin Engel Protocol.” ICI Cocoa Initiative, Sept. 2001, www.cocoainitiative.org/knowledge-hub/resources/harkin-engel-protocol. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Klein, Naomi. No Logo. BUR, 2018. 

“Nestle Cocoa Plan.” Nestlé Cocoa Plan, 2024, www.nestlecocoaplan.com/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Payson Center for International Development and Technology Transfer. “Final Report – Oversight of Cocoa Industry in Ghana and Ivory Coast.” Issuu, 11 Apr. 2011, issuu.com/stevebutton/docs/tulane_final_report.  Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Payson Center for International Development and Technology Transfer. “Final Report: Survey Research on Child Labor in West African Cocoa Growing Areas.” DOL, 30 July 2015, www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/final-report-survey-research-child-labor-west-african-cocoa-growing-areas. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

“PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION.” Congress.Gov, 28 June 2001, www.congress.gov/crec/2001/06/28/CREC-2001-06-28.pdf Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Sadhu, Santadarshan, et al. “NORC Final Report: Assessing Progress in Reducing Child Labor in Cocoa Production in Cocoa Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.” NORC, Oct. 2020, https://www.norc.org/content/dam/norc-org/documents/standard-projects-pdf/NORC%202020%20Cocoa%20Report_English.pdf Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Tejada Chavez, Angela. “Visible Progress: Hershey’s Cocoa for Good Strategy.” The Hershey Company, 2024, www.thehersheycompany.com/en_us/home/newsroom/blog/going-beyond-fair-trade-with-hersheys-sustainable-cocoa-strategy.html Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

“The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety.” The Bangladesh Accord, bangladeshaccord.org/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Whoriskey, Peter, and Rachel Siegel. “Hershey, Nestle and Mars Broke Their Pledges to End Child Labor …” The Washington Post, 5 June 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.

Whoriskey, Peter. “Utz Finds Alarming Problems at Four Cocoa-Certifying Firms – The …” The Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/23/chocolate-companies-say-their-cocoa-is-certified-some-farms-use-child-labor-thousands-are-protected-forests/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.