Australian supermarkets threaten to take Nutella off the shelves after report on child exploitation in Turkey

A new report regarding the situation of hazelnut plantations in Turkey rekindles attention to the possible child exploitation of which companies such as Ferrero are accused, which use this dried fruit to produce the famous Nutella and other products. Australian supermarkets are asking for clarification on this.


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A new report regarding the situation of hazelnut plantations in Turkey rekindles attention to the possible child exploitation of which companies such as Ferrero are accused, which use this dried fruit to produce the famous Nutella and other products. Australian supermarkets are asking for clarification on this.




That the hazelnuts used to make Nutella and other Ferrero products come from Turkey (there are over 400.000 family-run hazelnut orchards in this country) is a known fact. It is also sadly known that, in these plantations, most likely children are also often employed (we had already talked about it in another article).

Now a recent BBC report rekindles attention to this issue by confirming that 10-year-old children are employed to harvest hazelnuts in Turkey who work up to 10 hours a day for very little money (95 local lire or about 15 euros). There Ferrero buys one third of all Turkish hazelnuts and therefore it is considered the main culprit in favoring this type of exploitation. This is why some Australian supermarkets have asked the company for clarification and hinted that they want to withdraw Nutella and other products such as Ferrero Rocher from their shelves.

These are the Coles, Woolworths and IGA chains which, however, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, have not specified whether, if the company's response is not satisfactory, they will consider the possibility of completely eliminating Ferrero products from the sale.

Major grocery stores in Australia each adhere to their own responsible sourcing policies, which require varying levels of commitment to ethical and sustainable practices from their suppliers. And this time Ferrero is in the spotlight.

The company is therefore again forced to face the accusation and related questions on the actual use of child labor in its hazelnut supply chain.

Australian supermarkets threaten to take Nutella off the shelves after report on child exploitation in Turkey

How Ferrero responds

For its part, the company is trying to improve the traceability of the hazelnut supply chain and is planning a traceability plan for 100% of hazelnuts by 2020 (so far it has only reached 39%)



“As a major user of hazelnuts, Ferrero is committed to helping to influence and drive sustainable change in the hazelnut industry. This includes fighting child labor with a multilateral approach that involves a combination of different measures, such as in our Ferrero Agricultural Values ​​(FFV) program, ”he said in a statement.

In fact, some Turkish hazelnut traders who sell directly to Ferrero have stated that the company does not inquire about the working conditions of those who harvest the hazelnuts.

Since 2012, the company has launched the flagship program "Farming Values" in Turkey which offers free training to hazelnut growers and teaches them more efficient cultivation techniques, to help them increase their incomes, although they remain free to sell their hazelnuts to whoever they want.

Working in part with NGOs and other local organizations, Ferrero also trains farmers, farm workers, entrepreneurs, traders, brokers and other community members, and trains workers' rights, particularly to avoid child labor. The company is also committed to involving women in its training programs.

All nice except that, as Ferrero herself says, the program has so far reached 42.000 farmers. This is about one-tenth of the 400.000 in Turkey. Therefore how much can the company really be sure that hazelnuts are not harvested by children?

And it is Bamsi Akin himself, general manager of the Ferrero Hazelnut Company in Turkey who confirms this “nebulous !:

“If we determined a product manufactured with unethical practices, we would not touch it. We are doing our part to improve social practices with training… But is the system completely clean? I think no one can tell at this moment ”.



Read also:

  • Syrian refugees, including children, exploited in hazelnut fields to produce Nutella (and more)
  • Pesticides in Nutella? There may be a herbicide in hazelnuts
  • The scandal of Syrian children exploited in clothing factories: the companies involved
  • The child slaves who bring chocolate to our tables
  • Modern slavery: the 10 countries in the world where more people and children are exploited

 

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