Chocolate: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Summary

The script humorously examines the chocolate industry, highlighting its global worth and the joy it brings consumers, contrasting it with the harsh realities faced by cocoa farmers, particularly in West Africa. It delves into the exploitation and poverty of these farmers, the persistence of child labor, and the industry's failure to meet self-imposed deadlines to eradicate these issues. It calls for stronger legislation and corporate responsibility, suggesting that paying farmers a fair price could be a significant step towards rectifying these systemic problems.

Takeaways

• 🍫 Chocolate is a beloved dessert ingredient and a significant global industry, worth 140 billion dollars a year.
• 😋 The script humorously suggests that chocolate's appeal might be due to phenethylamine, a substance in chocolate that can mimic the effects of an orgasm.
• 👨‍🌾 The majority of cocoa farmers, primarily in West African countries like Ivory Coast and Ghana, have never tasted chocolate because they can't afford it.
• 💰 More than 60% of cocoa farmers do not earn a living income, with many earning below the World Bank's extreme poverty line.
• 🌳 Cocoa is mostly grown on small family-run plots, with labor-intensive harvesting done by hand, often under poor conditions.
• 🔄 The cocoa industry is controlled by a few powerful companies, with a small percentage of the chocolate bar's value reaching the farmer.
• 📉 Attempts to stabilize farmers' earnings through minimum prices have been insufficient and difficult to enforce.
• 🌳 Some farmers, desperate for income, have resorted to illegal farming on protected land, leading to environmental damage known as 'skeleton forests'.
• 👦 The cocoa industry has long been associated with child labor, with some children working in hazardous conditions or trafficked for labor.
• 📊 Despite commitments to eliminate child labor, major chocolate companies have repeatedly missed their self-imposed deadlines.
• 🛑 The script calls for stronger legislation and corporate responsibility to address the exploitation and poverty in the cocoa supply chain.

Q & A

What is the main subject discussed in the script?

The main subject discussed in the script is the chocolate industry, particularly the issues surrounding cocoa farmers, including their low income, the environmental impact of cocoa farming, and the presence of child labor.

What is the significance of phenethylamine in chocolate?

Phenethylamine is a substance in chocolate that slightly elevates blood pressure and heart rate, creating a sensation similar to having an orgasm, which might contribute to people's love for chocolate.

How is the chocolate industry's annual revenue described in the script?

The chocolate industry is described as a 140-billion-dollar-a-year global industry.

What is the situation of cocoa farmers in terms of income?

The majority of cocoa farmers do not earn a living income, with 73 to 90 percent in West African countries like Ivory Coast and Ghana not earning enough, and 30 to 58 percent earning below the World Bank's extreme poverty line.

Why have cocoa farmers not tasted chocolate according to the script?

Cocoa farmers have not tasted chocolate because they cannot afford it, given their low income from selling cocoa beans.

What is the role of cocoa trading companies in the chocolate industry?

Cocoa trading companies act as a bottleneck in the chocolate industry, controlling the flow of cocoa from millions of small holders to major chocolate companies, and they significantly influence the price that farmers receive for their cocoa.

What is the 'Harkin-Engel Protocol' mentioned in the script?

The 'Harkin-Engel Protocol' is a voluntary agreement by the chocolate industry to eliminate the 'worst forms' of child labor from cocoa farming, which was supposed to be achieved by 2005 but has been repeatedly missed.

What is the issue with current child labor monitoring systems used by chocolate companies?

The current child labor monitoring systems are inadequate, as they often fail to detect child labor in supply chains. For example, a documentary crew found child labor at a farm listed on Mondelez's Cocoa Life website.

How does Tony's Chocolonely differ from other chocolate companies in its approach to child labor and farmer income?

Tony's Chocolonely is committed to ensuring its supply chain is free from child or slave labor and pays farmers a premium that covers the gap between the government set price and a living income price, effectively paying almost double the market rate for cocoa beans.

What is the role of third-party organizations in the chocolate industry in relation to child labor and environmental standards?

Third-party organizations certify that farmers who supply them meet certain child labor and environmental standards. However, these certifications are not always reliable due to issues such as advance notice of inspections, which can lead to temporary hiding of child labor practices.

What is the script's suggestion for a potential solution to the issues in the chocolate industry?

The script suggests that chocolate companies should pay farmers more for their cocoa beans, which could help alleviate poverty and reduce the reliance on child labor. It also calls for tough legislation to enforce better practices in the industry.

Outlines

00:00

🍫 The Allure of Chocolate

The script opens with a humorous take on chocolate's popularity, contrasting it with the other flavors in Neapolitan ice cream. It highlights chocolate's widespread use in various products and its allure due to a chemical component that mimics the sensation of an orgasm. The segment also pokes fun at the host of a cooking show for their awkward explanation of this effect. The script then transitions to the darker side of chocolate's story, hinting at issues within the cocoa farming industry.

05:03

🌍 The Cocoa Industry's Dark Side

This paragraph delves into the global chocolate industry, which is worth billions but has a significant problem: the majority of cocoa farmers live in poverty and have never tasted the product they grow. The script criticizes the patronizing portrayal of farmers tasting chocolate for the first time on camera and emphasizes the harsh reality that they cannot afford it. It also touches on the concentration of power in the hands of a few cocoa trading companies, which control the market and contribute to the low earnings of farmers.

10:10

🌳 The Environmental and Human Cost of Cocoa Farming

The script discusses the labor-intensive process of cocoa farming, which is mostly done by hand on small family plots. It describes the process of harvesting cocoa pods and the fermentation of beans, highlighting the stark contrast between the initial product and the final chocolate. The paragraph also addresses the environmental impact of illegal cocoa farming in protected forests and the human cost, including the use of child labor and the failure of chocolate companies to meet their own deadlines for eliminating it.

15:12

🔍 The Inadequacy of Monitoring Efforts

This section critiques the efforts of chocolate companies to monitor and eliminate child labor from their supply chains. It describes how companies have set and missed multiple deadlines for achieving this goal, and how their monitoring systems are easily circumvented. The script also exposes the flaws in third-party audits, which give advance notice and thus fail to detect child labor effectively.

20:12

🛍️ The Role of Consumers and the Need for Change

The final paragraph calls for a change in the chocolate industry, emphasizing that the persistence of child labor is an open secret. It suggests that companies could take better care of their farmers by paying them more, and it points out that the market price is influenced by the companies themselves. The script introduces Tony's Chocolonely as a positive example of a company that pays a premium for cocoa beans and ensures a child-labor-free supply chain. It concludes by advocating for legislation to force companies to take responsibility for the conditions in their supply chains.

Keywords

💡Chocolate

Chocolate is a sweet food product made from roasted cocoa seeds, often combined with sugar and other ingredients. In the video, chocolate is the central theme, representing both a source of joy and a complex industry with significant economic and social implications. The script humorously contrasts the universal love for chocolate with the harsh realities of the cocoa farming industry.

💡Neapolitan ice cream

Neapolitan ice cream is a flavor combination of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla, often represented in distinct sections within the ice cream container. The term is used in the script to introduce the topic of chocolate, highlighting its favored status compared to the other flavors, which are humorously dismissed as 'boring' and 'fruit,' respectively.

💡Phenethylamine

Phenethylamine is a naturally occurring organic compound in chocolate that can have mood-enhancing effects due to its ability to slightly elevate blood pressure and heart rate. In the script, it is mentioned as a possible reason for people's love of chocolate, drawing a humorous parallel to the sensation of having an orgasm.

💡Cocoa farmers

Cocoa farmers are individuals who cultivate cocoa trees, the source of cocoa beans used in chocolate production. The script emphasizes the disparity between the enjoyment derived from chocolate and the living conditions of these farmers, many of whom have never tasted chocolate and live in poverty.

💡Living Income

A Living Income refers to a wage sufficient to afford basic needs and provide a decent standard of living. The script discusses how a significant percentage of cocoa farmers do not earn a Living Income, highlighting the economic challenges they face despite their crucial role in the chocolate industry.

💡Cocoa trading companies

Cocoa trading companies are businesses that buy cocoa beans from farmers and sell them to chocolate manufacturers. The script describes how a few powerful companies, referred to as the 'big three,' dominate this middleman role, exerting significant control over the cocoa market and contributing to the low earnings of farmers.

💡Child labor

Child labor involves the employment of children in work that affects their schooling, health, and overall development. The script addresses the issue of child labor in the cocoa industry, where children are often found working in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms, a problem that has persisted despite industry promises to address it.

💡Harkin-Engel Protocol

The Harkin-Engel Protocol is a voluntary agreement by the chocolate industry to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa industry by a specific deadline. The script points out the industry's failure to meet the initial and subsequent deadlines set by this protocol, indicating a lack of progress in addressing child labor.

💡Environmental damage

Environmental damage refers to the negative impacts on ecosystems and natural resources. The script mentions that some cocoa farmers, desperate to increase earnings, illegally grow cocoa on protected land, leading to what is known as 'skeleton forests,' which signifies severe deforestation and ecological harm.

💡Tony's Chocolonely

Tony's Chocolonely is a Dutch chocolate company founded by a journalist after uncovering child labor in the cocoa industry. The company is highlighted in the script as an example of a business that actively ensures its supply chain is free from child labor and pays farmers a premium to ensure they are not in poverty, contrasting with the practices of larger chocolate companies.

💡Legislation

Legislation refers to the process of making or enacting laws. The script concludes with a call for stronger legislation to compel chocolate companies to address child labor and exploitation in their supply chains, suggesting that voluntary measures have been insufficient.

Highlights

Chocolate's appeal is humorously compared to its absence in Neapolitan ice cream flavors, with a critique of vanilla and strawberry.

An introduction to the phenethylamine in chocolate, which is likened to an orgasmic sensation.

A satirical take on the chocolate industry's financial success juxtaposed with the plight of cocoa farmers.

The revelation that most cocoa farmers have never tasted chocolate due to its cost being out of their reach.

A critique of the patronizing media portrayal of cocoa farmers tasting chocolate for the first time.

The dominance of a few powerful cocoa trading companies in the global chocolate industry.

The disproportionate value distribution in the chocolate industry, with only about six percent reaching the farmer.

The ineffectiveness of minimum cocoa prices set by Ghana and Ivory Coast to ensure a living income for farmers.

The environmental and legal consequences of farmers growing cocoa on protected lands out of desperation.

A historical account of child labor and slavery in the cocoa industry, and the public's reaction.

The failure of chocolate companies to meet self-imposed deadlines to eliminate child labor from their supply chains.

An expose of the superficial efforts by chocolate companies to monitor child labor through their programs and advertising.

The inadequacy of third-party certifications in ensuring child labor and environmental standards in cocoa farming.

The economic argument for chocolate companies to pay farmers more, considering their significant market influence.

The example of Tony's Chocolonely as a company that pays a premium to ensure fair living wages for cocoa farmers.

A call to action for legislation to force chocolate companies to address child labor and exploitation in their supply chains.

The broader context of exploitation in other industries beyond chocolate, suggesting a need for systemic change.

The potential for a future where chocolate can be enjoyed without the moral complications of child labor and exploitation.

Transcripts

♪ ("LAST WEEK TONIGHT" THEME MUSIC PLAYS) ♪

Our main story tonight concerns chocolate,

the star attraction in Neapolitan ice cream.

Nothing against vanilla and strawberry,

it's just that one is a euphemism for boring sex

and the other is fruit, and fruit is simply not dessert.

-(BUZZER BLARES) -(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Chocolate is the greatest.

Just watch as this baby gets a first taste of it.

PARENT: Oh! I know, I know, I know.

Okay, one more, one more. Really big one. Ready? Ready?

-(EXCITED MUMBLING) -(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Yeah, baby. Same.

And I hope it savors that chocolate high

because I think we all know the rest of human experience

is pretty much downhill from there.

Everybody loves chocolate.

That is why we use it for everything.

From beauty products, to sculptures,

to breakfast cereal.

Although some arguably love it a little too much.

Like the host of this cooking show.

There's a component, a substance in chocolate,

called phenethylamine.

And what that fancy word does is it slightly elevates

your blood pressure and your heart rate.

And they tell me that it's a sensation

that's not unlike having an orgasm.

(CHUCKLES) I don't know, maybe that's why

people love chocolate so much.

But, anyway, let me get back to our step here.

-Okay... -(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

First, what a long, weird way to tell people

that you've never had an orgasm.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Second, I can't believe there is a chemical

that makes your brain horny

and they named it phenethylamine.

That is not a sexy name...

All of those are free and available.

And just to be very clear, eating chocolate

is nothing like having an orgasm

unless you count the fact that when boys do it

it is messy.

But chocolate isn't just making people horny.

It's also making a lot of money.

Globally, it's a 140-billion-dollar-a-year industry.

And at this point, you might be sitting at home

thinking, "Hold on, I've seen this show before.

This feels like it can be one of those fun stories,

but is it about to take a turn?

I've got a jumbo bag of fun-sized Snickers

that I'm gonna be handing out to tiny Iron Men,

Elsas, and Luigis in around 48 hours.

Are you gonna make that weird for me?"

Well, yes. Yes, I am.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

And also, don't bullshit me, half of that bag

is gonna be gone by Halloween, and you know it.

But the reason this is about to take a turn is,

for all the money and happiness surrounding chocolate,

there is one group that doesn't get to share in it.

And that is the farmers who grow cocoa

in the first place.

The vast majority have never even tasted chocolate.

And that is something that reporters

and documentarians love to try and remedy on-camera,

and perhaps none as patronizingly as this.

RICHARD QUEST: These farmers have been growing beans for decades.

They're about to get their first taste of chocolate.

-You have never tried chocolate? -No.

Mmm.

QUEST: That is your cocoa!

Well, well,

to those who thought that I'm the most annoying version

of a loud man on TV with a British accent,

looks like you owe me an apology!

Because that is pretty condescending right there.

"Attention, former subjects,

we noticed that you've not once tasted

the fruits of your interminable toil,

so allow me to present you with a generous gift

of a single KitKat.

That is your cocoa!"

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

And the reason most farmers haven't tried chocolate before

is they can't afford it.

More than 60 percent of cocoa comes from just two

West African countries.

Ivory Coast and Ghana.

And researchers have found that in those places,

between 73 and 90 percent of cocoa farmers

"do not earn a Living Income."

With 30 to 58 percent earning

below the World Bank's extreme poverty line.

And there's something a bit weird

about a product so synonymous for spreading joy

and giving babies what's basically a cocaine rush

abandoning those who grow its key ingredient

to grinding poverty.

Because even if you had a sense

that cocoa production had issues,

the truth is, from the land it's grown on,

to the working conditions of those who harvest it,

it is worse than you may realize.

So, given that, as we prepare

for our annual tradition of stuffing as much of it

in our faces as humanly possible,

tonight, let's talk about chocolate.

And let's start with the fact that cocoa is mostly grown

on very small, family-run plots.

There are about half a million of them in Ivory Coast

and another 800,000 in Ghana.

Harvesting cocoa pods is labor intensive

and done entirely by hand.

By the way, what's inside them may not be

what you are picturing in your mind.

REPORTER: Ivans Kanube cracks open the pods

to extract the sweet, slimy bean,

which, at this stage, has a flavor like lychee fruit.

Once the cocoa is collected, it's left to ferment

under banana leaves for about seven days.

Yeah. That slimy bean soup is cocoa.

Chocolate starts out as gluey, white insect larvae

that comes out of a big tree egg.

And it's only after a long process

that that fermenting forest jizz

becomes something more appetizing.

Or, in the case of a Mounds bar, even less appetizing.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

From the farm, the cocoa then passes

through a number of hands on its way

to the chocolate companies.

From the people who collect the beans,

to the warehouses who store them.

Each of whom gets paid for their part in the chain.

But at a certain point,

they all feed into one narrow bottleneck,

as this expert explains

in an almost unnervingly soothing way.

In a way, the story of chocolate is

a little bit like an hourglass.

Where you have millions of small holders

growing cocoa

at the very beginning of the story,

and at the end of the story,

you have millions of consumers eating chocolate.

But right at the center of the hourglass

are a handful of extremely powerful companies.

These companies are the cocoa traders.

(WHISPERS) Okay.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

That was a very good description of how the industry works

from what I can only assume is a nine-hour YouTube video entitled...

But it is true.

The industry is dominated by just a handful

of cocoa trading companies,

the most powerful of which are the so-called big three.

Cargill, Barry Callebaut, and OFI...

They then sell to a handful of major chocolate companies.

Mars, Mondelez, which owns Cadbury,

Ferrero, Nestlé, and Hershey.

Which together sell over half the world's chocolate.

And when you have so many farmers

and so few buyers,

the buyers clearly have a big advantage.

That is why only about six percent

of the value of a chocolate bar

makes its way back to the farmer.

And look, I'm not saying that those companies

aren't adding real value to their part of the process.

They are.

This Halloween, try offering a Spider-Man

a KitKat or a handful of sticky white bean larvae,

and see which they prefer.

But there are clearly massive disparities

in who reaps the benefits

of this extremely profitable industry.

And I will say, there are mechanisms in place

to at least help stabilize the amount that farmers earn.

Both Ghana and Ivory Coast set minimum prices

that farmers receive for their cocoa.

The problem is,

those prices are not only difficult to enforce,

but crucially, they're often not enough

to cover the costs of farming.

And so, some farmers, most of whom, remember,

are experiencing extreme poverty,

have resorted to trying to increase their earnings

by growing more cocoa

on land that is protected by the government.

Which is illegal because it can do

significant environmental damage.

LATIF NASSER: Desperate farmers supplement their crop

by growing cocoa trees in a protected forest,

where the uncultivated soil is more fertile.

And stolen land is, in effect, free of charge.

What's left behind is known as a skeleton forest.

Okay, let's face it, it was only a matter of time

before the phrase, "skeleton forest"

appeared on this show.

Because if there is a sinister combination of words out there,

we're gonna stumble over it.

Stay tuned! All those are coming up.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

But it's not just environmental damage.

There is also significant human cost in cocoa farming.

Which has been well known for a while.

Around 20 years ago, a series of news stories

and a documentary found that young children,

some of whom had been enslaved or trafficked

were working on cocoa farms that supplied

major chocolate companies.

And in the wake of public horror over this,

companies didn't do themselves any favors

with how they responded.

Just listen to the answer that this Dutch journalist got

when he asked Nestlé about whether children

were involved in making its chocolate.

FRANÇOIS PERROUD:

Yes.

PERROUD:

And it's the same?

PERROUD:

Yeah.

Right.

Not to stress the most obvious point in the universe,

but doing something for fun isn't the same thing

as doing it to survive.

It's the difference between being in an escape room

and being in a Saw movie.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Sure, they're both equally bad first date ideas,

but that is where the similarities end.

And look, I'll give him this, a lot of child labor

does consist of kids working

on their own family's cocoa farms.

Though even in those cases,

they can be doing so in hazardous conditions.

And also, watch as that Nestlé spokesperson

accidentally walks into a pretty damning admission

of exactly why they might've been having to do that

in the first place.

PERROUD:

Because they--

PERROUD:

Because they don't get paid enough

by Nestlé or by the companies they work for.

PERROUD:

Wow.

It is very funny to me that he thought

ending that call when he did was somehow

avoiding implicating himself.

"Look, the farmers have to make their children work for them

because they are so poor because they're not paid

a living wage by Nestlé, the company that I--

You know what? Nice try. You're breaking up.

I'm going through a tunnel. Goodbye!

That was a close one. I think I got away with it."

And again, it's not just kids working on their family farms.

Children have been known to be forced or trafficked

to work in cocoa production.

And while, because of the nature of this crime,

exact numbers aren't known,

one survey estimated that in Ivory Coast,

over a four-year period...

While...

And back in the 2000s, outrage over this

actually spurred US lawmakers to take action.

First, they considered mandating labels for chocolate

indicating whether or not it was made

with child slave labor.

But the chocolate industry then lobbied that down

to a voluntary agreement

to eliminate the "worst forms" of child labor,

promising to get it done by July 2005.

That agreement later became known as

the Harkin-Engel Protocol,

after the two lawmakers who had pushed for it.

But when the deadline rolled around,

Senator Harkin had this unfortunate update.

Though I was disappointed that the July 1st deadline

was not fully met by the industry,

they have given us a commitment.

A commitment to achieving a certification system

which can be expanded across the cocoa growing areas

of West Africa,

and which will cover 50 percent of the cocoa growing areas

of Ivory Coast and Ghana in three years' time.

I am very pleased with this commitment.

Wait, are you?

Because if so, I am genuinely jealous

of your infinite capacity for trusting others.

Ah, I see from the first panel of today's Peanuts comic

that Lucy is finally going to let Charlie Brown

kick the football.

While I was disappointed by her actions in the past,

it seems that a new day has brought a sense of integrity

within this young girl,

and I'm very excited to move my gaze down the page

and see this commitment honored in--

Oh, she did it again!

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

And predictably, the companies didn't meet

that new deadline either.

Once 2008 rolled around, they kicked it to 2010,

then pushed it again to 2020,

while simultaneously downgrading their goal to just getting...

...rather than eliminating it entirely.

Then, they missed that deadline too.

And the companies almost certainly knew

that they wouldn't be keeping their promises here.

As the former head of the International Cocoa Initiative put it...

And at that point, why bother setting a date at all?

If your friend agrees to meet you for dinner at seven,

then pushes it to 7:30, then eight,

and then finally says,

"Be there in 20... years not minutes,"

it kind of feels like they never had any intention

of getting dinner in the first place.

And I will say, it is not like the chocolate companies

have done nothing.

They all started flashy looking programs

with "cocoa" in their names that promised to be vigilant

about monitoring for child labor.

And they produced impressive-looking ads

featuring happy farmers and websites showing

how carefully they monitor their supply chain.

But the reality hasn't remotely lived up to the rhetoric.

Just last year, some journalists looked at a map

of farms on Mondelez's Cocoa Life website

and then sent a camera crew to Ghana to check some out.

And you'll never guess what they found.

ANTONY BARNETT: It didn't take long to find

children working on a farm matching the coordinates listed

on the Cocoa Life website.

The team filmed two young boys, aged 10 and 11,

harvesting cocoa pods using long sticks with sharp hooks

and wearing no protective clothing.

It's true. They went to just one of the farms

listed on their site,

a site filled with claims that child labor

is completely unacceptable, and instantly found child labor.

And I don't know what statement Mondelez can release

in the wake of that, other than maybe...

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

And if you're thinking, "Well, obviously we can't trust

companies to monitor themselves.

That's why there should be a third party involved."

The thing is, those have also existed for years.

Chocolate companies have long purchased

at least some of their beans

from third-party organizations like these,

who certified the farmers who supply them have met

certain child labor and environmental standards.

You might have seen one of these logos on a chocolate bar

and felt reassured by it.

But while advocates say that some of these organizations

have improved conditions somewhat,

these logos just aren't the guarantee

that you might want them to be.

For a start, while the organizations

pay farmers a small premium for meeting their standards,

those premiums might not even cover the cost of complying

with the program.

But also, typically...

And just watch what happened when reporters went undercover

as chocolate company executives and visited a contractor

who did audits for Utz,

one of those third-party organizations.

Because he explains to them exactly why he is so confident

that he won't find child labor on any farm that he visits.

TRANSLATOR: The audit is announced in advance.

You go and visit producers who know that you're coming.

When you go to them, you are not going to see any children.

That is true. Auditors give advance notice of inspections,

which is clearly ridiculous.

Because that's never going to be reliable.

If you tell your teenager, "I'm checking your backpack

for cigarettes next Tuesday."

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Then great news, you're not gonna find any.

Now, I have to tell you, Utz has maintained

that it holds auditors to the highest standards,

although you have just seen those standards,

and I don't know about you,

but they didn't seem that high to me.

As for Mondelez, who, remember, turned out to have

child labor at one of its suppliers in Ghana,

it said that it was "deeply concerned" by these incidents.

And okay. That makes two of us, Mondelez.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

It also wants you to know that

it has a child labor monitoring system in place

to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

Which is very reassuring, until you remember

it only took a documentary crew one flight to Ghana

to prove that that system is, at best, deeply inadequate.

And that is the thing.

All these companies will say that they are concerned

about child labor,

and that they've spent a lot of money trying to fix it.

By one estimate, as of 2019, they'd spent

more than 150 million dollars to address this issue.

But that's over 18 years, and while they were

collecting 103 billion in sales annually.

Meaning that over two decades, they've spent just 0.1 percent

of one year's sales.

And come on! M&M's must have spent more than that

fine tuning exactly how fuckable the green M&M is.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

And for all the company's claims of concern,

the fact remains, according to the US Department of Labor,

an estimated...

...work in cocoa production in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Many of whom are engaged in dangerous tasks.

Or, as the Washington Post investigation concluded...

In fact, the persistence of it in the supply chain

is an open secret.

Just watch as some young workers end up joking about it

when asked by visiting journalists.

Oh, yeah.

We all fondly remember being 21.

Small frame, child-like voice.

Another guy has to constantly remind you that you're 21.

Just classic early twenties stuff.

And I know they were laughing there,

and that clip was honestly kind of charming,

but the truth is, for others,

their stories are pretty harrowing.

Like this young girl, who said that at this point,

she'd already been farming cocoa for five years.

TRANSLATOR 2: I was brought here by my aunt.

I was told I would be helping with the baby,

but instead, I only do farming.

BARNETT: She says she wants to go to school,

but her uncle can't afford to send her.

TRANSLATOR 2: My uncle says he struggles to pay for his own children,

so if I join them, he will not be able to buy the schoolbooks.

BARNETT: We asked if she misses her family.

TRANSLATOR 2: Yes.

BARNETT: Do you hear from them?

TRANSLATOR 2: No.

BARNETT: Have you ever been back to visit them

since you came here?

TRANSLATOR 2: No.

That is heartbreaking.

And the truth is, there are a lot more clips

out there like that one than there are of kids

joking around about being 21.

And at this point, you might be wondering,

"Well, what can we do differently?"

And I will admit, it's really complicated.

Child labor in these regions is caused by a myriad of issues,

from poor infrastructure, to limited access to education.

But to a significant extent, it is caused by poverty.

A poverty that is actively perpetuated

by these chocolate companies.

And if they really want to remedy things,

a good first step would simply be to pay farmers more.

And companies might balk at that,

saying that they don't set the price, the market does.

But as this advocate points out, that's a pretty lousy excuse.

Every trader and every multinational I speak to

always say, "Oh, but that's the world market price.

We have no influence on that at all."

But you buy a quarter of the world's cocoa beans.

How can you not influence the price?

Exactly. And look, I am no economist,

despite winning "Most Likely to be an Economist Based on Appearance"

back in preschool.

But if you buy that much of the global supply of something,

you definitely have some sway over how much it costs.

And the thing is, there are models here

that companies could look to.

Remember that Dutch journalist

making the guy from Nestlé squirm?

As a result of that segment, he actually created

his own chocolate company, Tony's Chocolonely.

It works hard to ensure that its supply chain

is free from child or slave labor.

And importantly, it shows that the people who grow its cocoa

aren't in dire poverty.

Here is its former Head of Sustainability

explaining how it sets the price

for the beans that it buys.

We calculate how big the gap is between the government set price

and the Living Income price,

and we pay that gap as an extra premium.

SETH DOANE: For the spring harvest,

the premium was about 63 dollars higher

than what's set by the government,

meaning Tony's paid almost double for each bag of beans.

That's great.

And it says something that Tony's were somehow able

to pay farmers double the going rate

despite being a mid-size Dutch cocoa company,

whose logo, by the way,

looks like a casual dining restaurant

operated by and for clowns.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

If these guys can do it, there's frankly no reason why

these guys can't as well.

And to be fair, even Tony's own website

admits the scale of the challenge here, saying...

And I have to say, I appreciate that.

Because there is a difference between recognizing

how much there is to do and simply not doing enough.

And I know these are companies, not charities,

whose job it is to make money and not save the world.

But that means that they will only care about this problem

exactly as much as they are forced to.

So if we are serious about

getting child labor out of our chocolate,

we can't keep relying on pinky promises

and the honor system.

We need tough legislation that requires companies

do the right thing.

And it's not like this is the only industry

where exploitation in other countries is the norm.

I could just as easily have done this piece

about coffee or palm oil.

And we actually talked about trafficking and child labor

in the US farm system this year.

But experts themselves say of chocolate...

Look, we have known for 20 years what the problems are here,

and we haven't bothered to fix them.

But if we do, then imagine this.

One day, maybe, just maybe, we can get back to a point

where chocolate can once more give us the simple,

uncomplicated joy of this.

(EXCITED MUMBLING)

Exactly.