The Horrifying Reason These Major Chocolate Companies Could Be Facing Legal Action In The US – Mashed

The companies claimed to have made significant strides in reducing the use of child labor, but have failed to meet their goal because "the real magnitude of child labor in the cocoa supply chain and how to address the phenomenon were poorly understood" when they made the pledge in 2001, as Timothy S. McCoy, a World Cocoa Foundation vice president, explained to the Washington Post. They further stated that the blame for child labor cannot lay entirely with them, saying the West African government, NGOs, and other members of the international community must also accept some responsibility for the problem.

"This lawsuit does not advance the shared goal of ending child labor in the cocoa industry. Child labor is a complex, global problem, and tackling this issue is a shared responsibility. All stakeholders including governments, NGOs, communities, and the broader cocoa industry need to continue to address its root causes to have an impact," a Nestl spokesperson said in an email statement sent to Business Insider. Hershey's concurred in a similar statement, saying: "We have worked hard over the past several years to implement meaningful programs and work with our cocoa suppliers and West African governments to combat these issues and use our influence to make a positive impact," but addressing child labor "requires significant investment and intervention on the ground in West Africa, not in the courts."

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The Horrifying Reason These Major Chocolate Companies Could Be Facing Legal Action In The US - Mashed