Brazil Condemns Cargill for Labor Issues in Cocoa Supply Chain
The judge said in her ruling that there was no doubt about slave-like conditions and use of child labor on the farms, as well as their connection with Cargill.
Photographer: Nadirah Zakariya/BloombergA Brazilian court condemned Cargill Inc. for buying cocoa from producers that exploit workers under slave-like conditions and use child labor, according to the nation’s Labor Prosecutors’ office.
The buying included direct and indirect purchases of raw materials from the farms, the prosecutors said in a statement. Cargill, the world’s largest commodity trade, was ordered to formalize contracts with suppliers, adopt work inspection mechanisms and pay 600,000 reais ($120,000) as indemnity as part of the judge’s ruling, the prosecutors said. The ruling hasn’t been made public, and the company can appeal.