キットカット、児童労働によって収穫されたチョコレートを使用中止に

キットカットが児童労働で収穫されたチョコレートを使うことは、もうない。
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KitKat chocolate wafer bars, one of many Nestle products. (Photo by: Newscast/UIG via Getty Images)
Newscast via Getty Images

ネスレ社は児童や奴隷により収穫されたチョコレートと魚介類の使用に対する批判に晒されている。

キットカットが児童労働で収穫されたチョコレートを使うことは、もうない。

大手食品業者ネスレ社は8月31日、世界各地のキットカット製品に使用されている全てのカカオが来年上旬までには独立第三者機関により認定される予定だと発表した。ネスレ社はキットカットが、児童労働を使わないサステナブルなカカオを使用する、初めての世界的チョコレートブランドとなる。

この変化は、児童労働と奴隷労働を使った疑いで厳しい批判が向けられている最中に押し進められた。昨年の公正労働協会によるリポートで、ネスレ社にカカオを供給するコートジボワールの200ヵ所の農場で4人の15歳以下の児童が労働していることが明らかになっている。

8月30日にネスレ社は、アメリカのキャットフード購買者を代表して提起された集団訴訟への応答として、「弊社の供給チェーンの中に強制労働が存在してはなりません」と発表。この訴訟では、ネスレ社が東南アジアでの奴隷労働により生産された魚介類原料を使ったとして訴えられている。

「サステナブルなカカオ供給源を確保することによって、農家コミュニティの暮らしを守り、高品質のカカオ豆を提供することができます。この発表は、キットカットが責任あるブランドとして、消費者との信頼を強めることになるでしょう」。ネスレ社のコンフェクショナリー事業部長のサンドラ・マルティネス氏が声明文で言及した。

この発表はキットカットの80周年記念と連携して予定されたもの。2017年までに16万5000トン以上のサステナブルなカカオの使用を目指す取り組みの一環となっている。

児童労働反対世界デー 2015
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この記事はハフポストUS版に掲載されたものを翻訳しました。

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