Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Chocolate makers win dismissal in US of child slavery lawsuit

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by eight citizens of Mali who sought to hold Hershey, Nestle, Mars, Mondelez International and others liable for child slavery on Ivory Coast cocoa farms.

US District Judge Dabney Friedrich said the plaintiffs in the proposed class action lacked standing to sue because they did not show a "traceable connection" between the seven defendant companies and the specific plantations where they worked.


She said the plaintiffs also did not adequately explain the role of intermediaries in the cocoa supply chain, noting that the companies did not monitor activity in "free zones" where about 70 to 80 per cent of the cocoa is produced.

Mali and the Ivory Coast share a border in West Africa.

The plaintiffs said they were trafficked as children after being approached by unfamiliar men who promised paying jobs, but were ultimately not paid for their labor, threatened with starvation if they did not work, and required to live in squalor.

Their lawyer, Terry Collingsworth, said the plaintiffs plan to appeal, hoping to "force the companies to keep their own promises and end this abhorrent system they have created."

The other defendants included Cargill, Barry Callebaut and Olam International.

In court papers, the seven defendants said they "strongly condemn the use of forced labor" and were working to address non-forced child labor in cocoa supply chains.

But they said the plaintiffs' overbroad legal theory could leave too many people liable for forced child labor, including consumers and retailers who might benefit from lower prices.

The plaintiffs had sued under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.

Last June, the US Supreme Court threw out a similar lawsuit by six Malian citizens against Cargill and Nestle brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 federal law.

That decision was the latest in a series of rulings limiting access to federal courts based on human rights abuses outside the country.

More for you

UK economy unexpectedly shrinks in January

A file photo of Buns and Buns restaurant in Covent Garden Market, London. Sectors like accommodation and food services are expected to be hit hard by higher living wage and employer national insurance contributions in April.

Photo: iStock

UK economy unexpectedly shrinks in January in blow to government

Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in January, official data showed Friday, piling more pressure on the Labour government ahead of its Spring Statement on the economy.

Gross domestic product contracted 0.1 per cent in the month after GDP rose 0.4 per cent in December, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump threatens tariffs on European wine and spirits in response to a European Union plan to impose tariffs on American whiskey

Barrels of bourbon are stacked in a barrel house at the Jim Beam Distillery on February 17, 2020 in Clermont, Kentucky.

Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images

Trump threatens 200 per cent tariff on European alcohol

US president Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to slap a 200 per cent tariff on wine, cognac and other alcohol imports from Europe, opening a new front in a global trade war that has roiled financial markets and raised recession fears.

Stocks fell on the news, as investors worried that Trump would enact stiffer trade barriers around the world's largest consumer market. The S&P 500 finished the day more than 10 per cent below its record high reached last month, confirming the benchmark index for US stocks is in a correction.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gloucestershire Trading Standards underage test purchase operation

Products containing corrosive substances sold to minors by Gloucestershire shops

Photo: Gloucestershire County Council

Eight out of 10 Gloucestershire shops found selling corrosives to minors

An undercover operation by Gloucestershire Trading Standards has found most shops in the county selling products containing corrosive substances to underage buyers.

In total, 10 stores were visited and eight made sales to underage volunteers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paul Bacon appointed as NewstrAid Operations Manager replacing Tom Rodger

Paul Bacon joins NewstrAid as Operations Manager

NewstrAid appoints Paul Bacon as new Operations Manager

Industry charity, NewstrAid, has announced the appointment of Paul Bacon to the role of Operations Manager.

Paul will join the NewstrAid team from 17 March and will take over from Tom Rodger, who is retiring at the end of the month.

Keep ReadingShow less
 ATM machine
Brits pull out nearly £80bn from LINK ATMs in 2024
Photo: iStock

Uneven transition: Where cash still clings on in Britain

The UK’s transition away from cash continues to accelerate, nearly five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released today by LINK, the UK's cash access and ATM network.

While the trend towards a low-cash society is clear, the pace of this shift varies significantly across the country, indicating a complex and evolving payment landscape.

Keep ReadingShow less