While cocoa gets the most attention from the chocolate industry when it comes to eliminating child labour, other ingredients like sugar, nuts or vanilla are also high risk. On June 11, the International Labour Organisation announced its global estimate for child labour that it publishes every four years. The report, that it prepared with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), revealed that the prevalence of child labour fell from 160 million children in 2020 to 137.6 million in 2024. However, agriculture still accounts for the largest share of child labourers at 61% and sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence at 21%. This does not bode well for the chocolate industry, which sources about 75% of its cocoa from West Africa. The sector has one of the highest risks of having child labour in its supply chains. Between January 2014 and January 2024, consultancy firm Morningstar Sustainalytics identified 612 human rights incidents related to food supply ...
