Galaxy (Dove)
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Mars Wrigley milk chocolate brand, sold as Dove in some countries.
In 2023, reporters found children as young as five harvesting cocoa on every Ghana farm they visited that supplies Galaxy's owner.
Also worth knowing
Galaxy has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: child labour, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 2 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
- Not 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 listNames its suppliers
- 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 (palm oil) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its cocoa is grown
From its parent group's supplier list, which covers Galaxy (Dove) and its sister brands. Galaxy (Dove) publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. 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 |
| Ghana | 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)
- Modern slavery statement
- Publishes supplier list
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Traces all of its palm oil to the country of origin or beyond, or buys all of it certified
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes Galaxy's cocoa is Rainforest Alliance certified and comes through Mars's Responsibly Sourced Cocoa programme, which Mars says covered 98% of its cocoa in 2025 with child labour monitoring for all participating West African farmers. Mars names Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana as its main cocoa origins but publishes no origin shares, child labour case numbers or farmer incomes. Galaxy contains palm fat; Mars reports its palm oil 100% traceable to mill and 98.6% RSPO certified (2023). Galaxy is not sold in Australian supermarkets but can be ordered from UK online shops that deliver to Australia.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Mars Wrigley ranked 5th in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard, up from 8th in the 2025 edition, when it scored 66%. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Mars, Incorporated files joint modern slavery statements covering Mars Wrigley Australia. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, Mars's main West African origins, is on the US Department of Labor's child labour goods list. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records cocoa child labour lawsuits naming Mars, including the 2023 Ghana case by International Rights Advocates. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Galaxy carries Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa rather than Fairtrade. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | A 2023 CBS News investigation found children as young as five harvesting cocoa on every farm it visited in Ghana that supplies Mars, Galaxy's owner, including children listed as removed from the work. Source · search the archive | PartlyMars said it would investigate; it says child labour monitoring now covers all cocoa from participating West African farmers (2025). No help for the children has been reported. |
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.
- In November 2023 International Rights Advocates sued Mars, Mondelēz and Cargill on behalf of Ghanaian child cocoa workers; in January 2026 the D.C. Superior Court refused the companies' motions to dismiss, and the case continues. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- The Chocolate Scorecard (7th edition, 2026) · search the archive · Mars Wrigley ranked 5th in the 7th edition, after 8th in the 6th edition
- Galaxy Milk Chocolate Bar (Ocado) · search the archive · Ingredients include palm fat; product features list Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa; made by Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK
- Galaxy bars get certified (3BL Media) · search the archive · Mars committed to Rainforest Alliance certification for Galaxy, about 160 million bars
- Mars: Cocoa for Generations 2025 progress report (OneStopESG, 2026) · search the archive · 98% of 2025 cocoa via Responsibly Sourced Cocoa programme; CLMRS covers all West African programme volume; no case numbers
- CBS News: children still working for Mars's Ghana cocoa suppliers (Food Processing, 2023) · search the archive · CBS found children as young as 5 harvesting cocoa for Mars in Ghana; Mars said it would investigate
- CGF Forest Positive KPI profile: Mars 2024 · search the archive · Palm oil 100% traceable to mill, 97% to plantation, 98.6% RSPO certified (2023 data)
- Galaxy Milk Chocolate Bar (British Corner Shop) · search the archive · UK online shop selling Galaxy for worldwide delivery, including to Australia
Company details
- Owned by
- Mars, Incorporated
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Galaxy (Dove) ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/galaxy, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Galaxy (Dove).