In late fall, MMA met with Hershey representatives at the company’s headquarters to discuss the sustainability of its cocoa bean sourcing. Most of Hershey’s cocoa beans come from West Africa, and one of the main points of the meeting was to discuss how Hershey can encourage equitable pay for farmers and fair labor standards for workers.

It is estimated that tens of thousands of children are forced to work on cocoa plantations in West Africa, many of them smuggled in from extremely poor countries such as Mali. Since most cocoa beans come from hundreds of thousands of small farms and pass through three or more companies before reaching the major confectioners, documenting labor abuses and certifying ethical farms is difficult.

Social investors are working with the world’s largest chocolate companies to establish industry-wide solutions to the problem of forced labor and low pay on cocoa farms. MMA is collaborating with Hershey and staying aware of developments with other companies.