"Italian company Ferrero accused of exploiting hazelnut pickers", 28 October 2021

Turkish hazelnut producers...are denouncing the poor working conditions of Italy's Ferrero.

...the Turkish farmers picking most of the hazelnuts going into Nutella spreads complain of exploitation and meagre pay...

They are paid $14 (€12) a day for 12 hours of work, which is less than the minimum wage that Turkey requires for a 45-hour week...

"The owners and producers pay us insufficient wages because the price we get for a kilo of hazelnuts is low. This price benefits neither us nor the producers. The only ones who benefit are the big companies," [seasonal worker, Bahri] Koyu said...

A Ferrero spokesperson said that the group does not directly "own or manage farms in Turkey" and that it procures hazelnuts it needs according to free-market rules.

But Omer Demir, President of the Istanbul Chambers of Agriculture said: "they buy hazelnuts for 22 to 23 liras a kilo and sell them for 23 dollars. How come these men do whatever they want when we account for 70% of production? They should not be allowed to."

Demir has called on Turkey's competition authority to intervene...

Hazelnut producers feel like they have no choice and are scared of speaking out against the Italian giant.

"They fear that if they speak out, they will no longer be able to sell their hazelnuts," said Sener Bayraktar, who heads Akyazi's chamber of agriculture...