Callebaut
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Belgian chocolate brand selling couverture callets to chefs and bakers.
Callebaut's parent, Barry Callebaut, scored 14/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain benchmark, and we couldn't confirm where it gets most of its cocoa.
Also worth knowing
Most cocoa is grown in countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, where workers are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a failing or very low rating (KnowTheChain 14/100 in 2026, for the company it's rated with). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
- Checks its own supply chain. Callebaut reports the child labour cases its own checks find, and how it fixed them, in its own reports.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where cocoa is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ecuador, Cameroon and Nigeria.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksUnconfirmed reports of forced and child labour are listed below. They don't affect the grade.
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts) where they're a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: hazelnuts
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: KnowTheChain 14/100 (2026, the company it's rated with)
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its cocoa is grown
Not confirmed
We couldn't confirm where Callebaut gets most of its cocoa, so this shows where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 45% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | 25% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Ecuador | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cameroon | 10% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for chocolate: finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring).
- Modern slavery statement
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Uses hazelnuts in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Callebaut says its Finest Belgian Chocolate uses 100% sustainable cocoa through Cocoa Horizons, a programme set up and run by its owner Barry Callebaut and funded by a premium on each pack, not an independent certification. Barry Callebaut buys cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ecuador, Brazil and Indonesia but gives no shares by country for the brand. It reports large numbers of child labour cases found and remediated each year (25,288 identified in 2024/25); by 2030 it aims only to rally others around a farming model that yields a living income, with no income target of its own.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Barry Callebaut publishes a group human rights statement under the UK Modern Slavery Act and Canada's supply chain act (2024/25, issued February 2026). View |
| KnowTheChain | Problem found | Barry Callebaut scored 14/100 (17th of 45) in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark, with 0 for remedy and monitoring. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | BHRRC tracks Barry Callebaut's modern slavery disclosures and allegations against the group. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Brasil de Fato (2026) reports Brazilian court rulings that Barry Callebaut's subsidiary benefited from child and slave-like labour in cocoa. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, Barry Callebaut's highest-risk origins, is on the US list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Callebaut's range uses Barry Callebaut's own Cocoa Horizons programme rather than Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance. View |
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Owner Barry Callebaut ranked 19th of 34 medium and large companies in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard, below the top tier. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- Brazilian labour courts ruled in 2022 and 2023 that Barry Callebaut's Brazilian subsidiary benefited from child and slave-like labour in its cocoa supply chain and ordered R$500,000 in damages; the company is appealing, and no link to Callebaut-branded chocolate has been shown (Brasil de Fato, 2026). Source
- A 2021 US lawsuit by eight Malian men alleged that Barry Callebaut, Nestlé, Mars, Hershey and others profited from forced child labour on Ivorian cocoa farms; it was dismissed in 2022 and the appeal rejected in 2025. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage scorecard: Barry Callebaut · search the archive · Score 14/100, rank 17 of 45; no remedy process or no-fee recruitment policy.
- Gigante suíça do chocolate lucrou com trabalho infantil no Brasil (Brasil de Fato, 2026) · search the archive · Courts found Barry Callebaut Brasil benefited from child and slave-like labour; R$500,000 damages; appeal pending.
Published by Callebaut or its owner
- Callebaut: Questions & answers · search the archive · 100% sustainable cocoa for Finest Belgian Chocolate via Cocoa Horizons; premium split; third-party verified premium use.
- Callebaut: Sustainability · search the archive · Cocoa Horizons Foundation set up in 2015; part of each pack funds it; training, diversification and savings programmes.
- Barry Callebaut Forever Chocolate Progress Report 2024/25 · search the archive · 25,288 child labour cases identified, 30,080 remediated; 557,739 farmers above poverty line; origins named.
- Barry Callebaut Human Rights Statement 2024/25 · search the archive · UK and Canadian statement for 2024/25; 25,288 child labour cases identified, 30,080 remediated; highest risk in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.
- Callebaut Hazelnut Praline PRA-663 · search the archive · Callebaut sells hazelnut praliné with hazelnuts from Spain, Italy and Turkey.
Company details
- Owned by
- Barry Callebaut AG
- Headquarters
- Belgium
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Callebaut ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/callebaut, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Callebaut.