Hershey outlines details of cocoa child labor pledge

Hershey announced on Wednesday​ that by 2020 all cocoa in its chocolate would come from certified farms that use third-party auditing to clampdown on child labor and ensure fair working conditions for farmers.

How much is already certified and how will progress be communicated?​

Hershey will not let on how much of its cocoa volume is currently certified due to “competitive reasons”.​

However, the firm told ConfectioneryNews.com that it would communicate progress towards its goal in its annual corporate social responsibility reports (CSRs) and will announce milestones along the way.

Asked why Hershey was refusing to communicate its current certified cocoa usage, Jeff Beckman, head of corporate communications at Hershey, told this site:

“Because we will now formalize tracking and reporting our progress for this new initiative as part of our broader, ongoing CSR tracking and reporting process.”​

The Tropical Commodity Coalition’s 2010 Cocoa Barometer​ gives some indication of how much certified cocoa Hershey is currently using.

Two year’s ago, it projected that 0.5% of Hershey’s 170,000 tonnes cocoa volume would be certified by 2012.

Beckman said: “We are currently sourcing certified cocoa for our Bliss and Dagoba brands and will do the same for the Scharffen Berger brand by the end of 2013.” ​

Raise the bar reacts​

Shortly before Hershey made its announcement, it came under fire from the Whole Foods Market in the US, which removed Scharffen Berger from stores. 

Whole Foods Market took the decision over Hershey's alleged failure to demonstrate a commitment on child labor, which had previously been highlighted by campaigners.

The Raise the Bar Hershey campaign, comprised of NGOs such as Green America and the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) had been critical of Hershey, but today welcomed its pledge.

A spokesperson from Green America​ told this site: “Hershey’s commitment is both monumental and necessary; however, they remain vague on which certifications, and on their timeline/benchmarks for achieving this.”​

The Raise the Bar campaign considers Fair Trade as the only certification that adequately addressed the worst forms of child labor.

In a statement, it called on Hershey to certify and label one of its top-selling brands as Fair Trade within the next year.

Which certificates?​

Hershey currently uses only Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, but plans to use multiple certifiers to meet the 2020 target.

“Because of the extensive nature of our product line and the volume requirements of this commitment, we expect to work with numerous certifiers to reach 100 percent certification,”​ said Beckman.

He emphasized that Hershey latest pledge formed just one part of the company’s commitment to ending child labor in West Africa.

The company will invest $10 million on sustainable cocoa sourcing in West Africa over the next five years for schemes such as its mobile phone initiative Cocoalink and literary and health programs

The chocolate firm is also working with U.S. Department of Labor's Framework of Action, United Nations International Labor Organization, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and World Cocoa Foundation.