What’s in your chocolate this Easter?

An annual scorecard that rates how chocolate companies keep their product free from slavery is available in time for Easter 2022.

The 2022 Chocolate Scorecard surveyed 38 of the world’s largest chocolate companies, accounting for 80 to 90 percent of global chocolate products, Easter eggs among them, and include giants such as Mars, Lindt, Nestlé, Mondelez (Cadbury), Ferrero, and Hershey’s. 

The scorecard is released annually by Be Slavery Free, an NGO that advocates for policies to curb modern slavery. The report draws on research from Macquarie University, Open University, and the University of Wollongong.

In all, 38 companies were rated on six sustainability issues. These included traceability and transparency, living income policies, child labour, deforestation and climate, agroforestry, and agrichemical management.

According to a statement from Be Slavery Free, the industry has seem some improvements, however there was, “still a long way to go in addressing the issue of approximately 1.56 million children caught up in child labour.”

A study released in 2020 revealed the scope of the problem of child labour in the industry. 

What is the scorecard?

The scorecard gives each company a colour-coded score that takes these factors into consideration. Those receiving a ‘green’ egg are considered by Be Slavery Free to be “leading the industry.” Those receiving a ‘red’ egg ranking need to “catch up with the industry” according to the NGO.

This year, Beyond Good and Alter Eco received the green egg standard.

The report lists Starbucks, General Mills, and Storck (Worther’s Original, Toffifay, and Merci brands) as needing to be more transparent, as these brands did not respond to the survey.

In early April, footage emerged of children working with machetes on a cocoa farm that allegedly supplies Mondelez, owner of Cadbury.

Be Slavery Free’s Fuzz Kitto said that the discovery was disturbing.

“We are not at all surprised that a journalist found child labourers on farms allegedly supplying to Mondelez (Cadbury),” he said.

“Our concern is that we are not finding more of these children.” 

The 2022 Chocolate Scorecard is available at Be Slavery Free’s website.