Arnott’s ensure chocoloate products are free from child labour

Biscuit company Arnotts will source ethical cocoa that has not been made with the use of child labour for all of its chocolate-based products, World Vision Australia said yesterday.

In response to a public campaign by World Vision earlier this year, Arnotts said on 30 March that it was “committed to playing its part by sourcing sustainable cocoa that avoids the use of child trafficking and unacceptable forms of child labour” by the “end September 2010″.

World Vision chief executive Tim Costello said he had met with Arnotts yesterday and was pleased to hear the company had now committed to ensuring its cocoa supply chains were free from child labour.

“Arnotts sources 24 per cent of its cocoa from Ghana in West Africa where there is widespread use of child labour in the cocoa industry,” Mr Costello said. “As CEO of World Vision I have visited the cocoa fields in West Africa where kids use dangerous machetes and pesticides, work long hours and often don’t go to school.”

“World Vision understands that Arnotts has signed an agreement to source its West African cocoa until 2012 through Fairtrades independent certification scheme.