Nutella-maker Ferrero has reiterated its commitment to ensuring safe working conditions for hazelnut farmers in Turkey, following a New York Times report that suggested that worker exploitation is rife within the country’s hazelnut production areas.
Boasting the headline ‘Syrian Refugees Toil on Turkey’s Hazelnut Farms With Little to Show for It’, the New York Times article claimed that much of the work of Turkey’s 600,000 hazelnut farms along the country’s northern coast is being carried out by Syrian refugees, who face long working hours, regular seven-day work weeks, and low pay.
“In six years of monitoring, we have never found a single hazelnut farm in Turkey in which all decent work principle standards are met,” Richa Mittal, the director of innovation and research for the Fair Labor Association, told the paper.
Ferrero, Nestlé and Yildiz are among the firms identified in the report as purchasing hazelnuts from Turkey, with Ferrero reportedly purchasing one third of the country’s output.
Working Conditions
Following the publication of the article, Ferrero issued a statement in which it claimed that it ‘takes the situation of hazelnut workers very seriously, and has made several commitments in recent years to ensure safer and more decent working conditions in its supply chains, without distinction of origin, gender, physical fitness, religion, politics, or social and cultural diversity’.
The confectionery firm reported that it works with a number of international third-party organisations, including GIZ, UTZ and the International Labor Organisation, to ensure safe working conditions across its supply chain.
In addition, it reported that through its Ferrero Farming Values programme, it has developed a monitoring and evaluation system to improve working conditions in producer countries.
On the subject of Syrian refugees, the firm reported that it is working alongside the International Labor Organisation to protect seasonal workers and their families.
Purchasing Policy
Commenting on Ferrero’s commitments in the New York Times article, the Fair Labor Association’s Mittal said that while the Italian firm will take calls from the organisation, as well as ‘participate in panel discussions about labour issues’, it does not provide details as to where and how it buys its hazelnuts.
“We know nothing about the findings of the programmes they have in place,” Mittal told the newspaper. “We know nothing about the difference between certified and uncertified farms. We have no clue.”
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
