Nestle SA and Mars Inc. vowed to work to improve the well-being of women cocoa farmers after an Oxfam International report detailed shortcomings among food companies in fostering human rights and sustainability.
Nestle and Mars, which together control 27 percent of the world chocolate market, have assured Oxfam they will conduct assessments within a year on the well-being of women among its raw-material suppliers in Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer, Oxfam said today in a news release. The companies will then take action to improve women’s livelihoods and work with other organizations to address gender inequality across the industry, it said.
