Nestlé has faced serious allegations of engaging in child labor on its cocoa farms, with numerous reports and lawsuits highlighting the company's involvement in illegal labor practices. In 2021, six former child slaves from Mali came forward to share their experiences of being trafficked and forced to work, enduring long hours in harsh conditions on farms that supply cocoa to Nestlé. They described working 12 to 14 hours a day, often under the watch of armed guards, to keep them from escaping. Their pay was very low, barely enough for basic food, and they were not allowed any education or freedom.
Investigations have backed up these claims. Researchers looked at 260 cocoa farms in Ivory Coast and Mali, finding 56 children under 18 working there, with 27 of them younger than 15. One alarming case from the Divo district in Ivory Coast involved a young worker who didn’t get paid for a whole year. Further investigations show that at least 24 children were labeled as "family workers" on several farms, which stopped them from going to school and kept them trapped in a cycle of poverty. These young workers often had to carry heavy cocoa loads and use dangerous tools like machetes without any safety precautions.
A legal fight began when the former child workers sued Nestlé, leading to the case known as Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe, 593 U.S. 628 (2021). But this lawsuit only lasted six months before the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed it. The court ruled that because child labor did not happen in the U.S., Nestlé couldn’t be held responsible under the Alien Tort Statute. Despite this ruling, human rights activists and legal experts were critical, arguing that Nestlé's executives, who make important business decisions from their U.S. headquarters, should be held accountable. Terry Collingsworth, the Executive Director of International Rights Advocates, condemned the decision and said his legal team would seek to file a new lawsuit, claiming that Nestlé's business choices directly led to child labor in its supply chain.
Nestlé and other big chocolate companies still get a lot of their cocoa from West Africa, where labor is cheaper and rules aren't enforced very well. The use of child labor in the cocoa industry is a big problem, and many global companies gain from a supply chain that focuses on making money rather than treating workers fairly. Human rights groups have repeatedly pointed out that these companies aren't doing enough to stop child labor in their supply chains, even though they have publicly promised to make changes.
Beyond its involvement in child labor scandals, Nestlé has faced multiple other controversies. An update posted on April 24th, 2024, exposed the company for destroying significant amounts of bottled water, leading to a deterioration in water quality from the Gard water well in France. Reports indicate that Nestlé engaged in illegal filtration methods, resulting in water that was far less pure than advertised. Initially, the company responded by claiming that heavy rainfall had introduced contaminants, necessitating the destruction of their water supply as a precautionary measure. However, further investigation revealed that the contamination was due to the direct result of an order given by Nestlé management to an employee, leading to significant consequences.
The French government was aware of these illegal practices and had been questioned about them as early as October 2023. Despite this knowledge, no action was taken against Nestlé, allowing the company to continue its questionable operations. Nestlé did not halt production either and went on to sell contaminated water to consumers. The polluted water contains harmful chemicals and pesticides, including PFAS, which are very resistant to breaking down in the environment. These substances have been linked to serious health concerns, including hormonal disruptions, immune system issues, and even cancer.
This is not the first time Nestlé has been accused of unethical practices in its bottled water business. The company has previously been criticized for false advertising and mislabeling the purity of its products. In addition, Nestlé has been known for extracting water from drought-prone regions, worsening water shortages in areas already struggling with limited resources. In 2021, Nestlé sold its North American water brands, including Poland Spring and Pure Life, to a private equity firm. However, despite this sale, many of the controversial practices associated with Nestlé's water business have continued under its new ownership, keeping the company's name intertwined in water-related scandals.
Yet another controversy involving Nestle, this one involving babies and sugar! In lower-income to middle-class countries, Nestle markets their baby brands as a necessity for young children's development. Nestle holds their headquarters in Switzerland, where they do not put sugar into their products. In Switzerland, Nestle has multiple influencers who post about how active, healthy, and happy their kids are after continuously eating their baby food. In 2024, the International Baby Food Action Network analyzed their formula was different and was made with sugar in other countries. Scientists recommend that babies eat a no-sugar diet for the first two years of their lives to avoid health problems. In some lower-class countries, their formula can contain up to 7.3 grams of sugar, which is approximately one and a half teaspoons of sugar per serving! This isn't their only offense against their baby foods. In the past, during the 70s, a report came out titled "The Baby Killer," which accused Nestle of causing infant deaths and illnesses by marketing their baby formula as better than breastfeeding.
Hey Noelle,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your deep dive into Nestlé's unethical practices. Your post was both eye-opening. Knowing that such a powerful company continues to prioritize profits over human rights and environmental responsibility is frustrating.
The child labor allegations you covered are extremely sad. Reading about the six former child slaves from Mali who were trafficked and forced to work under such extreme conditions was very hard to hear. It’s horrible that these kids were subjected to 12-14 hour workdays under armed watch, stripping them of their freedom, education, and childhood. t’s frustrating that executives who make decisions from the comfort of their offices aren’t held responsible for the suffering caused by their supply chain.
Your section on Nestlé’s bottled water scandal in France was another shocking revelation. The fact that they knowingly sold contaminated water and then tried to deflect blame onto weather conditions is infuriating. The presence of PFAS and other harmful chemicals poses a real health risk, and it’s even more frustrating that the French government was aware of their illegal filtration methods as early as 2023 but took no action. This pattern of deception and exploitation is truly disturbing, and it makes me wonder how many more of these violations are going unnoticed worldwide.
Also, I've heard of Nestlé’s unethical marketing of formula in the past but I wasn’t aware of the more recent sugar-laden versions being sold in lower-income countries. It’s crazy that they market their baby food as essential while simultaneously altering the ingredients based on where it’s being sold. Knowing that Swiss babies get a sugar-free version while others get up to 7.3 grams per serving is just another example of how Nestlé takes advantage of vulnerable communities for profit.
Thank you for this work. It made me reflect on my own eating and drinking habits as well. Nestlé is everywhere from chocolate to water to baby formula and it’s unsettling to realize how much power they hold in the global market. It makes me wonder what real steps we can take to push for accountability.
Im happy you found my blog useful, I love that you reflect on your on eating habits after reading this.
DeleteThis is an issue I was very unaware of. As a kid and even now nestle products have always been in my life, and I find it incredible that they would be at the forefront of these controversies. What shocked me the most was how they lied about the rainfall disrupting the water quality, even though they ordered an employ to do so. It would be one thing ignore publics accusations, but to respond to them with excuses and lies is outrageous. Furthermore, I find it concerning that nothing has been to stop the trafficking taking place, as well as the child enslavement. In a time period like today there should be no exceptions to these kinds of ethical violations and something must be done to stop this.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree the company shouldn't have lied, that is unethical and hard to rebound from. It's just so hard to take down these huge companies.
DeleteHi Noelle,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really compelling and informative blog. You did an excellent job weaving together Nestlé’s major controversies of child labor, water mismanagement, and the baby formula issue into a strong, cohesive narrative. The legal references and statistics also added real weight to your argument and showed how these issues are interconnected. Your writing style was very clear and engaging throughout. I am curious if there have been any credible improvements or actions taken by Nestlé in response to these issues in terms of the chocolate and the baby food problem or have they been still solely relying on PR to save them?