‘Progressive’ multinational exploiting children in Turkey

Ferrero, who had hastened, under pressure from the leftists, to withdraw from the list of advertisers of French conservative author Eric Zemmour’s programmes on CNews and Paris Première, has been faced with a backlash.

The brand that thought, by opposing the French essayist, it would inspire consumers to follow progressive and globalist values, now finds itself on Monday, December 23, accused by human rights associations.

The company is accused of indirectly participating in the exploitation of minors in Turkey, where 70 percent of world hazelnut production comes from. The British media The Guardian carried out the investigation, with the help of NGOs.

Ferrero, for his part, claims to exercise “zero tolerance” with regard to child labor. But the fact is that 30 percent of its hazelnuts come from Turkey, the world’s largest producer, where minors are exploited for a pittance.

In 2012, 900 000 child workers were counted in Turkey, including 11 300 between the ages of 6 and 14, knowing that the minimum age for work is 15 years. Among these children, many are young Syrian refugees.

Faced with this information, the Italian brand says it is “determined to prevent and eliminate child labor throughout our supply chains”. The problem is that Ferrero does not own or manage any hazelnut farm in Europe. The precious nuts arrive through intermediary companies.

In interviews filmed by the British NGO WeMove Europe, consulted by The Guardian, the testimony of children aged around ten claiming revealed taht they ae working up to 12 hours a day in the Black Sea region.

The third largest chocolate company in the world says it is aiming for 100 percent traceability of its hazelnuts by 2020, but has sadly only reached 49 percent today. “The root of the problem is the price Ferrero pays for its hazelnuts,” says Giulio Carini of WeMove Europe. “We ask Ferrero to defend a fair price for hazelnuts in Turkey in order to guarantee workers wage income and eliminate child labor.”

In 2018, 67 children and adolescents lost their lives while working, according to the Center for Child Rights association. Ferrero, for its part, has doubled its sales over the past decade. In 2018, it had a turnover of 10,7 billion euros.