A coalition of philanthropic partners and companies in the cocoa and chocolate industry have joined forces with Cote D’Ivoire to support its strategic objectives to combat child labor.

The International Cocoa Initiative has nearly met its goal of reaching 200,000 children with child protection measures half-way through its six-year strategy. 

A federal appeals court has agreed that Mars, Inc. and other food manufacturers have no duty under California consumer protection laws to disclose on product packages that their supply chains may contain child labor.

Cocoa-certifying organization UTZ has intensified its partnership with the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), an organization focused on protecting children in cocoa-growing communities.

It’s been a long journey to and from Cote d’Ivoire, known to some as the Ivory Coast. Having just completed the final leg of a four-day Barry Callebaut press tour featuring 10 journalists, I wanted to share my experiences and thoughts on an incredible journey.

When I first started working for Candy Industry more than a decade ago, my knowledge about the industry was at best rudimentary. It was also unbiased. Hence, when the first headlines about child labor began to surface, I did what every good journalist should: research the hell out of the topic.