Cocoa processors including Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland could be encouraged to follow the example of Nestle and launch investigations into their cocoa supply chains, the head of the Fair Labor Association has told just-food.
Auret van Heerden, chief executive of the organisation that carried out the probe into Nestle's cocoa supply in Ivory Coast at the request of the Kit Kat manufacturer, said the investigation could act as a catalyst for similar actions by processors.
Nestle buys most of its cocoa through large-scale processors. Campaigners believe the involvement of these companies is vital in any serious efforts by the cocoa and chocolate industries to tackle the issue of child labour.
Van Heerden said Nestle's work with FLA represents a good chance to foster that sort of engagement, pointing to an overture Olam International had already made to the organisation regarding its supply chain.
"Nestle certainly have started that discussion with a lot of their business partners. I'm hoping that Nestle's buying power could persuade maybe even a Cargill or an ADM to come to the table as well," he told just-food.
The results of FLA's investigation into Nestle's cocoa supply were announced last week and included "multiple serious violations" of the company's supplier code, with child labour "the primary cause for concern".
