Child labour persists on Ghana cocoa farms despite industry pledges
Investigative footage shows children as young as ten working long hours on Ghanaian cocoa farms, contradicting multi-billion-dollar chocolate companies' promises to end child labour.
Early-morning footage from remote cocoa farms in Ghana shows children as young as ten clearing weeds with machetes and hauling water containers, often while schools are in session. The labor, deemed illegal when hazardous or during school hours, occurs on farms that display Rainforest Alliance and Cocoa Life branding, yet investigators have not verified a direct supply link to Mondelēz. NGOs such as Be Slavery Free describe the work as “hazardous child labour” and blame the mass-balance certification model that mixes certified and non-certified beans.
A former child labourer from the community explained that families rely on these jobs for survival despite extreme poverty. Mondelēz responded with statements of concern and a $1.4 billion investment plan for its Cocoa Life program by 2030, while critics say meaningful change would require higher farmer wages and sustained consumer pressure.
Why it matters
It reveals that chocolate’s sustainability claims may hide ongoing child exploitation and poverty in cocoa-growing regions.
In this story