Haribo Is Under Investigation Over Labor Abuses
Germany candy brand Haribo is in hot water after an investigative documentary alleged that the company is sourcing ingredients from producers that, among other claims, employ children, underpay workers, provide inhumane working conditions, and raise pigs in inhumane conditions.
The 45-minute video, which aired on German broadcaster ARD's Markencheck show, centers on two Haribo supply chains: Northeastern Brazilian carnauba wax harvesting, and northern German pig farms that supply the company with gelatin.
Carnauba wax is a major ingredient in not just gummies but many other household products, but the ARD documentary alleges that the workers, who climb the tall carnauba wax trees with long blades, often don't have places to sleep, and are denied toilets and filtered water.
The German pig farms, which feed the Haribo gelatin supplier GELITA, are alleged to be completely unsanitary, with pigs roaming with open wounds and among carcasses.
In a statement to Vice's food channel Munchies, a Haribo spokesperson shared:
"We would like to emphasize that we are extremely concerned by some of the images shown on the consumer program broadcast on German TV channel ARD last week. The conditions on the pig farms and the Brazilian plantations shown are insupportable.
Currently, we are investigating together with our suppliers the precise nature of the conditions in the companies that supply them. Should it transpire that urgent improvements are needed in this area, we will insist on their implementation and will not rest until these improvements have been implemented."
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