Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Swiss chocolate brand making bars, pralines and Branches.
Frey can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Better-graded chocolate
Graded higher than Frey, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listRuns its own factories
- Not 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 and palm oil) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 2
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Frey's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its cocoa is grown
From Frey's own disclosure: it runs its own factories and says where its cocoa comes from. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Owns or runs its own production
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
- Uses hazelnuts and palm oil 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 All Frey own-brand chocolate has been Rainforest Alliance certified since late 2013, and Delica's 2026 cocoa policy requires certified cocoa and supports child labour monitoring with partners in high-risk origins. Since 2012 its Ivorian beans come from the Necaayo cooperative, which gets a premium per project bar; other origins are not named and no shares are published. Delica is an amfori BSCI member and its Swiss sites are SMETA audited. Some pralines contain hazelnuts and palm oil of undisclosed origin. No farmer income or child labour case data is published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Delica (Frey) scored 56% overall in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard (7th edition), 10th of 34, with 56% on child and forced labour and 46% on living income. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Kakao und Kinderarbeit: so transparent sind die Schokoladenfirmen (blue News, April 2026) · search the archive · Frey ranked 26th in the previous Chocolate Scorecard; Migros backs a child labour project in Ghana
- Certified cocoa (Migros) · search the archive · All Chocolat Frey own-brand chocolate Rainforest Alliance certified since late 2013
- Food product of the month October: Necaayo project chocolates (Migros Industrie, 2022) · search the archive · All Ivorian cocoa bought from the Necaayo cooperative since 2012, about 1,500 t a year; CHF 0.50 per project bar paid to the cooperative
- Frey Supreme Dark Intense 91% Chocolate Block 100g (Woolworths) · search the archive · Frey dark chocolate sold by Woolworths in Australia; made in Switzerland
- Frey Pralinés Collection Herbst (Codecheck) · search the archive · Frey praline assortment contains palm oil and hazelnuts
Published by Frey or its owner
- Cocoa policy (Delica) · search the archive · 100% certified cocoa required (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade); supports CLMRS with partners in risk origins; updated Q1 2026
- Supply chain (Delica) · search the archive · amfori BSCI member since 2014 with risk-based independent supplier checks; Buchs and Birsfelden sites SMETA audited
Company details
- Owned by
- Delica AG (Migros Group)
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Frey ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/frey, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Frey.