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Article

30 Sep 2015

Author:
Torey Van Oot, Refinery 29 (USA)

The Shocking Child Slavery Claims About Your Favorite Chocolate Bars

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…[Three] lawsuits, filed by the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, claim [Hershey, Nestlé and Mars] source cocoa beans from suppliers in the Ivory Coast that use child laborers, some of whom are trafficked or forced into the work…Failing to disclose that the suppliers use child labor would be a violation of California law, the firm alleges…[A] Hershey spokesman said the company is "committed to the ethical and responsible sourcing of all of our product ingredients and have no tolerance for illegal practices, including children used as forced labor in cocoa farming." He cited the company's role in industry-wide efforts to curb such labor practices…Nestlé told The Daily Beast that the allegations are "without merit."…Mars told The Daily Beast that the company "shares the widely-held view that child labor and trafficking is abhorrent and rooted in complex economic, political, and social issues"…

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Customers in California file class action lawsuits alleging that Hershey, Mars & Nestlé use forced child labour in Côte d’Ivoire

Hershey lawsuit (re child labour in Côte d’Ivoire, filed in California)