Hu
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
New York-founded brand of organic, refined-sugar-free chocolate.
Hu gets some of its cocoa from Sierra Leone and publishes a modern slavery statement.
Also worth knowing
Its cocoa is Fairtrade certified, which comes with a minimum price for farmers and audits for child and forced labour.
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Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
- Met: Earns 3 stars for going above and beyond.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities | Earned | |
| Pays above a living wage | Not earned | |
| Gives workers a real voice | Not earned | |
| Open supply chain | Not earned |
3 stars for the first way it goes above and beyond, and one more for each further way, up to 6. About stars
Good requirements 6 of 6
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: strong fair-pay scheme (Fairtrade)
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 linksAn unconfirmed report of child labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listFully certified by Fairtrade, which holds and audits the list of farms. Hu doesn't publish its own.
- 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 0
None found.
Where its cocoa is grown
Hu is fully certified by Fairtrade, which holds and audits its list of farms. That 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'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sierra Leone | Systematic violations | Not rated | Low |
| 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
- 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
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Its parent company, Mondelēz International, got the Bad Egg award in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard. That isn't counted here, because this brand's products come through their own fully certified supply chain. Source
- 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 Hu's cocoa and cocoa butter are Fairtrade and USDA organic certified, and it uses Fairtrade coconut sugar, cashews and vanilla; the Fairtrade minimum price and premium do not guarantee a living income. Hu names three cocoa cooperatives it supports in Sierra Leone and coconut sugar co-ops in Indonesia, but does not publish full cocoa origins or where its chocolate is made, so only Sierra Leone is shown, without a share. A few bars contain hazelnuts, with no stated source; Hu uses no palm oil.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Certified | Hu sources all its cocoa, coconut sugar, cashews, vanilla and quinoa on Fairtrade terms. View |
| Chocolate Scorecard | Problem found | Owner Mondelēz declined to take part in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard (7th edition) and got its Bad Egg award; it scored 10% in 2025. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Owner Mondelēz rose into the top 10 of the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Mondelēz publishes an annual group Human Rights Due Diligence and Modern Slavery report. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Tracks a 2023 lawsuit against Mondelēz, Mars and Cargill over child labour on Ghanaian cocoa farms. 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.
- In November 2023 International Rights Advocates sued Hu's owner Mondelēz, with Mars and Cargill, in Washington D.C. on behalf of Ghanaian children who say they worked on cocoa farms; the D.C. Superior Court refused to dismiss the case in 2026 and it remains undecided. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Mondelēz International acquires US snacks and chocolate business Hu Products · search the archive · Mondelēz acquired Hu Products
- Are your products fair-trade? (Hu Kitchen help centre) · search the archive · Hu uses Certified Fair Trade cocoa and cocoa butter, both USDA Certified Organic
- Hu Chocolate & Candy (iHerb Australia) · search the archive · Hu chocolate bars, including hazelnut flavours, sold online with delivery to Australia
- Mondelēz Human Rights Due Diligence and Modern Slavery 2025 Report · search the archive · Group modern slavery statement covering cocoa, hazelnut and palm oil risks
- Ghana case: Kassim v. Cargill, Mars and Mondelēz (International Rights Advocates) · search the archive · Filed Nov 2023; D.C. Superior Court denied the companies' motions to dismiss; case pending
Published by Hu or its owner
- Fairtrade at Hu · search the archive · 100% of cocoa, coconut sugar, cashews, vanilla and quinoa on Fairtrade terms; cocoa co-ops named in Sierra Leone
- Hu marks Fairtrade Month with a new mural and global impact report (Nosh, 2025) · search the archive · Partners with three Sierra Leone cocoa cooperatives on child labour prevention training; coconut sugar co-ops in Indonesia
Company details
- Owned by
- Mondelēz International
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Hu ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/hu-kitchen, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Good 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 Hu.