Everyone loves to indulge in that Aero bar from the corner store or a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day. However, most people are ignorant to what goes on in the making of their favorite chocolate products. Nestle, the worlds largest food company, is a major culprit in the usage of children as laborers in the production of their cocoa. Along the Ivory Coast, where some of Nestle’s cocoa is produced, over 600,000 children are working on cocoa farms for little or no pay in excruciating working conditions. Nestle has failed to conduct checks on child labor and other abuses in parts of it`s cocoa supply chain and has been accused of serious violations of their own supplier code which clearly states clauses on child labor, safety and working conditions. While Nestle has taken responsibility for these accusations and has allowed the Fair Labor Association to map their cocoa supply chain in the Ivory Coast, it still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of all Nestle consumers. Imagining the conditions these children had to endure and the number of children`s lives that were taken in the process , it is troubling to think that Nestle only received a slap on the wrist. It seems as though Nestle needs to pay a little more attention to what`s going on outside the office.
Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18644870
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