Three major chocolate companies made the headlines just this month as they were filled a lawsuit by the Hagens Berman Sobol Sharpio law firm in California. The lawsuit stated that the candy companies namely Hershey, Mars, and Nestle are using child laborers to harvest cacao and work on the land.
Contrary to the allegations being thrown at them, the companies made their response in regards to the lawsuit. In a response letter that they sent to The Daily Beast, Hershey's stated that they do not tolerate illegal practice when it comes to sourcing their products.
"At Hershey's, we are committed to the ethical and responsible sourcing of all of our product ingredients and have no tolerance for illegal practices, including children used as forced labor in cocoa farming.The allegations in the lawsuit are not new and reflect long-term challenges in cocoa-growing countries that many stakeholders, including NGOs, companies in the cocoa supply chain and the U.S Government have been working diligently together to address for a number of years. Poverty is a fundamental issue in the cocoa-growing region of West Africa, and companies across the entire cocoa supply chain have been actively involved in substantial initiatives to improve the economic, social and labor conditions in these cocoa-growing communities."
In an official statement gathered by the Confectionery News, their corporate communications head stated that" the allegations in the lawsuit isn't new" he then added that "it reflect long term challenges in coca growing countries that many stakeholders, including NGOs, companies in cocoa supply chain and the US Government have been working together for a number of years."
Mars also rested their case by releasing an official statement citing that they are committed in improving the livelihood of coca farmers.
As for Nestle, they too , informed the news website that "it would contest the case." They made it a point that the issue could not be addressed through a single lawsuit.
Do you believe these companies or would they have to prove themselves first? State your comments below.
