The maker of Nabisco and Oreo cookies, Cadbury, Milka and Toblerone chocolates, among other high-calorie sweets, has agreed to address hunger, poverty and unequal pay among women cocoa farmers in West Africa. The firm conceded in response to a massive letter campaign organized by a rights group.
Mondelez International, with headquarters in Deerfield, Ill., initially denied they were not meeting the goals to improve working conditions for women who, as reported by the rights group Oxfam, are paid less than men and suffer discrimination in access to training and materials.
“We are surprised that Oxfam does not acknowledge these investments in its report,” the company said initially.
But the U.K.-based Oxfam said the manufacturer was avoiding the issue and was instead “compiling a laundry list of well-known existing projects.”
Last month, Oxfam called on the top three chocolate manufacturers–Mondelz, Nestle and Mars–to conduct independent audits after finding women cocoa farmers were paid less than men, suffered degrading treatment from male supervisors and were unable to obtain loans from banks and other creditors. In Nigeria, some cocoa farmers earn as little as $2 a day.
Thousands of Oxfam activists flooded the company with letters backing the demand.