Swiss food giant Nestlé says it will work with a non-profit group to investigate alleged child labour on Ivory Coast cocoa farms where it sources supplies.
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Nestlé announced on Monday it was joining the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a United States group that formed as part of a presidential task force during the Clinton administration.
Little has changed since Nestlé, along with other global chocolate producers, signed a US-brokered deal to eliminate child labour in 2001.
The FLA said it would conduct an independent audit with unannounced visits to some of the farms in question. The results will be published in spring 2012.
With its headquarters in Vevey in western Switzerland, Nestlé had sales of SFr107.9 billion ($114.3 billion) in 2010, with organic growth of 6.2 per cent.
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NGOs slam industry inaction over child labour
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Non-governmental organisations say the Harkin-Engel Protocol signed on September 19, 2001 by eight top companies – including Swiss groups Nestlé and Barry Callebaut – has not been adequately enforced and now needs to be legally binding to make a difference. The international coalition of NGOs, 10-Campaign, say importing countries must also do their part by…
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Last week Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara ordered a month-long ban on cocoa exports to cut funds from his rival for the presidency, incumbent Gbagbo. Swiss chocolate producers meanwhile downplay their role in the country. Online activist group Avaaz.org ran an advert in last Saturday’s Financial Times calling on Swiss food giant Nestlé and…
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As a sign of this good health, Nestlé will open on Monday a chocolate excellence centre in Broc, canton Fribourg, on the site of one of its oldest production facilities. Chocolate, along with other confectionery, constitutes a large chunk of Nestlé’s business. It represents 11.3 per cent of the company’s turnover, less than its beverage…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.