NOT FOR SALE CAMPAIGN & INTERNATIONAL LABOR RIGHTS FORUM
Contact: Kilian Moote, press@free2work.org, 415-307-1498
Tim Newman, tim.newman@ilrf.org, 202-347-4100 x113
Free2Work.org informs consumers on use of slave labor in chocolate production
Chocolate producers rated for Valentine's Day
In advance of Valentine’s Day, top chocolate companies such as Hershey’s, Nestle, and See’s Candies have been rated on an “A” to “F” scale on their ability to ensure that forced labor and child labor are not being used in the production of their goods. Free2Work.org, a consumer awareness tool maintained by Not For Sale Campaign and International Labor Rights Forum, will help concerned consumers decide which chocolate to buy for their loved ones.
A recent report by the Department of Labor highlighted that forced labor and child labor is still a major concern in the production of cocoa, nine years after the chocolate industry agreed to eliminate the worst forms of child labor from its products.
Over 70% of the world’s chocolate is produced in West Africa, primarily in Cote D’ Ivoire. Since 2001, reports have documented extreme labor abuses including abusive child labor, forced labor, and trafficking. “Consumers should be outraged that after so many years, children continue to harvest cocoa that consumers are buying for their children this Valentine’s Day,” says Bama Athreya, Executive Director of the International Labor Rights Forum.
Annually, the United States consumes upwards of 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate, or nearly half the world's supply. “Unfortunately, it's unlikely that any standard or system can ensure chocolate is 100% slave-free, but as consumers, it is our responsibility to know which chocolate is less likely to be produced by slaves,” says David Batstone, President of the Not for Sale Campaign. “The concentration of forced labor used in chocolate production has significant implications for the credibility of the entire industry.”
Free2Work rates companies performances based on their code of conduct, implementation of their code, transparency, response to child labor and efforts to empower workers. Additional questions are used to evaluate specifically what steps chocolate companies are taking within their own industry to address forced and child labor.
The Free2work.org rating program is a new and ongoing endeavor. Additional products will continue to be rated throughout the year.
The Not For Sale Campaign equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe. www.notforsalecampaign.org
International Labor Rights Forum is an advocacy organization dedicated to achieving just and humane treatment for workers worldwide. www.laborrights.org
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