Ferrero Rocher chocolates may be tainted by child labour

Ferrero says it has ‘zero tolerance’ for human rights abuses amid claims hazelnut pickers as young as 11 may be part of supply chain

Lorenzo Tondo

@lorenzo_tondo
Fri 20 Dec 2019 11.29 ESTLast modified on Fri 20 Dec 2019 23.45 EST

The hazelnuts inside millions of Ferrero Rocher chocolates sold across Europe this Christmas may have been picked by children working in farms in Turkey, according to human rights campaigners.

Ferrero, the world’s third largest chocolate company, is struggling to address concerns that multiple farms where it sources hazelnuts for its chocolate products may use child labour.

Ferrero buys roughly 30% of all the hazelnuts it uses in its products – including Ferrero Rocher – in Turkey, where child labour is widespread.

According to the most recent government records available, in 2012 there were an estimated 900,000 children working in different industries, including farming, across Turkey. Of these, 11,300 were between the ages of six and 14.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/20/are-ferrero-rocher-chocolates-tainted-by-child-labour





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Syrian refugees exploited for Turkish hazelnut harvest, NYT



Syrian refugee women prepare food in a community house in Istanbul. PHOTO/ARCHIVE/EPA/CEM TURKEL
INVESTIGATIONS MIGRANT WORKERS EXPLOITATION
Syrian refugees exploited for Turkish hazelnut harvest, NYT
By ANSA Published on : 2019/05/01 Latest update : 2019/05/02

An investigation conducted by the New York Times has found that small Turkish firms harvesting hazelnuts for well-known brands such as Ferrero, Godiva, and Nestlè often illegally exploit Syrian refugees.

Hazelnut production for Nutella and other famous brands like Godiva and Nestle makes use of Syrian refugees in Turkey, often in conditions of vulnerability and lack of legal protection, reports the New York Times.

An investigation by the newspaper found that Turkey accounts for 70 percent of hazelnut production in the world and that especially small firms use the labor of Syrians from across the border or minors. The workers are often exploited and paid as low as 10 dollars per day.

Difficult to monitor work conditions

The newspaper said that Ferrero buys one third of all Turkey's hazelnuts. The Alba-based group says that ''it oversees a multipronged effort to prohibit child labor and set wage and safety standards'' and that "Ferrero is dedicated to providing its people with safe and decent working conditions and we request that our independent farmers do the same.''

However, the Italian firm and other multinationals find it difficult to monitor working conditions in Turkey, especially because many of the local firms are independent and the Labor Code applies only to those with 50 or more employees.

More:
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/16625/syrian-refugees-exploited-for-turkish-hazelnut-harvest-nyt