Japan chocolate producers stamping out child labor in supply chains

Japan isn’t squeaky clean when it comes to slavery. Read your history books.

 "but there has been interest in this issue in Europe and the United States since around 2000."

Over 20 years late? That's not bad for corporate Japan.

I bet Nestle and the other big industrials couldn't care less whether their chocolate came from child labour.

I LOVE chocolate but I hate child labour. I want my chocolate. And I want it clean.

child labor in the cultivation of cocoa beans...a rampant problem 

i actually had no idea. learned something new today

If kids are forced to work, I'm against it. If they're given an opportunity to work w/o force, I'm all for it.

As a kid, it feels good and boosts self-esteem to be able to make money. Not to mention helpful to the family. Keeps you from earning through crime too.

These avenues of employment should be kept open if there's no coercion involved.

Kakukakushikajika

Yeah, after watching John Oliver’s piece about cocoa production this claim seems dubious.

I bet Nestle and the other big industrials couldn't care less whether their chocolate came from child labour.

The irony is, is that I bet a majority of consumers, an dprobably some new ones, would be willing to pay more for chocolate that was 'properly' produced. Brand association and optics are everything to these companies...

products will be sourced from farms free of child labor by 2025

Don't buy their product until they do this. Literally their product has child labor right now. I'm shocked they don't want to immediately fix this.

Fuji Oil has set itself the goal of removing child labor from its supply chain by 2030 

Why not by tomorrow? Does it take 7 years? And how is this a "goal" and not a "commitment"?

In countries where schools don't even exit what else should these kids do ? Starve to death ? Child labor isn't wrong. Child slavery is.

Last Week Tonight just did a feature on this issue. It’s available on YouTube.

Isn't there now also a quite counterproductive part ? Chocolate surely becomes much more expensive and will be consumed less. What happens now to the children who had the job , but are now unemployed, forced to go to another even worse harvest , prostitution or simply can't support whole family anymore? You can't tell me, that if you can't afford chocolate anymore or buy less of the now expensive and child-labor free chocolate, that now all those children's future is bright, they attend a school now or can better support their big families. Although seeing the general problem with exploitation, but in fact that will be now becoming a boomerang or a lose-lose outcome.

Why not by tomorrow?

By "tomorrow" will mean imposing by force rules, laws and procesures... How good that would look?

Does it take 7 years?

Education and establishing a fair job conditions takes a lot of time.. 7 years is relatively fast.

And how is this a "goal" and not a "commitment"?

A goal would mean to have the full cooperation of all the stakeholders to reach it. Doubt that will be possible without time to explain and reach agreement with all the part. Process that usually take a lot of time.

Of course there is a faster way... namely by force... but again, how does that option fits with you?

This is a direct result of the SDGs linked awareness to supply chains and child labor. The chocolate industry was the focus of some good research and reporting which slowly tricked down and into the education system and then finally the general population of consumers. Once it hits that critical mass companies like Yuraku will all rush to come on board and signal their efforts to do the right things, saving these poor kids from a lifetime of slave or indentured labor and in. Black Thunder is rebranding basically.

It'll be a long time before other companies and industries get on board with their own secretive practices and supply chain 'issues' but at least it's a start.

Child labour is also rampant in the USA, with many food manufacturers using them, from the ages 12 to 15. And nearly all famous fast food companies use child labour to.

Japan isn’t squeaky clean when it comes to slavery. Read your history books.

After you read the article. Your comment has nothing to do with it.

Not really, the thrust of the article is that these companies ‘have decided to do something about child labor’. Put another way, they can no longer turn a blind eye to what’s happening and the benefits to their balance sheets that it brings. My point is that child labor is a form of slavery which is something Japan is no stranger to - if you read your history books that is. Sorry if this goes against the image of safety and manners you may be accustomed to but it’s just true.

Japan isn’t squeaky clean when it comes to slavery. Read your history books.

If you begin to make statemest like that... you are going to run out of contries/societies/cultures that have a clean history regarding slavery pretty fast

The Big Choc companies that make massive profits should be paying for children to attend schools.

Slavery in Japan was abolished in 1590.

Children are the present and the future of Planet Earth, our common home. May each child be blessed with a happy present and a bright future.

One such company is Yuraku Confectionery Co, whose main product is its Black Thunder chocolate bar. The chocolate maker announced in 2020 that all the ingredients used in its products will be sourced from farms free of child labor by 2025.

Oh no chocolate I've been eating might have been tainted, gotta switch to black thunder

SLAVE FREE CHOCOLATE

Below is a list of chocolate companies that only use ethically grown cocoa. Find out how you can tell if the chocolate you are eating is connected to child slavery.

https://www.slavefreechocolate.org/ethical-chocolate-companiesNo Japanese/Asian companies are listed.

“Slavery in Japan was abolished in 1590.” Ha, that’s the first thing that comes up on Wikipedia. Don’t they to make out like you came out with that off the top of your head. You’re forgetting the ‘comfort women’ (sex slaves) and slaves they used to build the river Kwai for one.

Excuse the typo.

Children are literally kidnapped and slaved for this.

But the article tries to tug my heart-strings by repeating they can't go to school!

I bet Nestle and the other big industrials couldn't care less whether their chocolate came from child labour.

And I bet some of them literally have dreams of the abuse and horror and wake up feeling refreshed!

NewgirlintownToday 04:15 pm JST

I don't think those peasants in the Edo period had much say in their lives, either.