Bitter Truth: Slave labor still exists in chocolate industry

Slave-free chocolate brand, Tony’s Chocolonely. Photo: Sipalius/Wikimedia Commons.

Many Presbyterians are increasingly asking tough questions about where their food comes from.

Was it ethically sourced?

Did workers get paid fairly?

Were children harmed in the process?

From coffee to quinoa, ethical sourcing has become a central concern—but few know that one of the most beloved foods in the world, chocolate, often hides a dark secret.

The cocoa industry, particularly in West Africa, is rife with exploitation.

Over 1.5 million children are estimated to be involved in cocoa-related child labor in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, and tens of thousands of people are subjected to modern slavery conditions on cocoa farms (U.S. Department of Labor, 2020; NORC at the University of Chicago, Cocoa Child Labor Report).

These children and workers endure long hours, dangerous tools, and physical abuse, all to supply the global chocolate market.

Enter Tony’s Chocolonely, a Dutch chocolate company founded in 2005 by journalist Teun van de Keuken.

Outraged by the use of child slavery in chocolate production, van de Keuken set out to create a brand that would not only produce delicious chocolate but do so in a way that respected human rights and transparency.

His company’s mission is simple yet revolutionary: To make 100% slave-free chocolate the norm, not the exception (Tony’s Chocolonely, Our Mission).

Tony’s operates with five key sourcing principles: 100% traceable cocoa beans, paying a higher price to help farmers earn a living income, strengthening cooperatives, maintaining long-term partnerships, and investing in agricultural training to improve productivity and sustainability (Tony’s Chocolonely, Tony’s Open Chain).

These aren’t just feel-good policies—they’re structural changes designed to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation that fuels modern slavery.

To spread its impact beyond its own bars, Tony’s launched Tony’s Open Chain, inviting other companies to follow its ethical model.

Major brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Aldi have already partnered with the initiative (PR Newswire, 2022, Ben & Jerry’s Joins Tony’s; News.com.au, 2023, Aldi Partnership).

Even the design of Tony’s bars is a protest! They’re intentionally divided into uneven pieces to symbolize the unequal distribution of profit in the cocoa industry (RELX SDG Resource Centre, Tony’s Impact).

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

In 2022, Tony’s Chocolonely received the Stop Slavery Award from the Thomson Reuters Foundation for its transparency and anti-slavery practices (Tony’s Chocolonely, Stop Slavery Award).

Today, Tony’s works directly with over 17,000 cocoa farmers and continues to source 100% traceable cocoa beans (Tony’s Chocolonely, Impact Report).

The company proves that ethical chocolate production isn’t just possible—it’s necessary.

If you care about where your food comes from and who gets hurt in the process, let Tony’s Chocolonely be a starting point.

Sweet treats shouldn’t come at the cost of human dignity.