Lacta
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 5 sources
Brazilian chocolate brand owned by Mondelez International.
Lacta's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2018, which it has only partly acted on.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, forced or child labour and a failing or very low rating (Chocolate Scorecard Bad Egg award in 2026, for the company it's rated with). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2018) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- 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 0 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 its cocoa is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Ecuador and Cameroon.
- 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
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- 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 where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: Chocolate Scorecard Bad Egg award (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
Lacta names some of the countries its cocoa comes from: Brazil. 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 |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes Lacta is one of Brazil's top-selling chocolate brands; Mondelez says beans from Cocoa Life farms in Pará and Bahia go into it, but gives no share and no other origins for the brand. Its cocoa is bought through the big grinders, which have been linked to slave labour on Brazilian farms. Across the whole group, Mondelez reports child labour monitoring for about 89% of West African Cocoa Life communities and palm oil about 99% traceable to the mill.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Problem found | Owner Mondelez declined to take part in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard and was given its 'Bad Egg' award. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Mondelez Australia's 2025 statement (calendar 2024) covers Cocoa Life, child labour monitoring and palm oil traceability across the group. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Link through a supplierRepórter Brasil reported in 2020 that Olam, Barry Callebaut and Cargill, which grind 97% of Brazil's cocoa and supply Lacta, bought via middlemen from Bahia farms where inspectors rescued nine people from slave-like labour in 2017 and found workers paid under half the minimum wage in 2018. Source · search the archive | PartlyMondelez said it rejects bad labour practices and acknowledged the difficulty of ensuring good farm conditions; it runs Cocoa Life in Brazil. No supplier exit was reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Slave labour and inhuman wages: labour violations in Brazil's cocoa industry (Repórter Brasil, 2020) · search the archive · Olam, Barry Callebaut and Cargill supply Lacta; 2017 rescue at Diana farm and 2018 underpaid workers in Bahia linked to their middlemen; Mondelez response
- 2026 sustainable chocolate scorecard released (Baking Business) · search the archive · Mondelez declined to participate and received the 'Bad Egg' award
Published by Lacta or its owner
- Mondelez International launches Cocoa Life in Brazil (2018) · search the archive · Beans from Cocoa Life farms in Pará and Bahia part of Lacta supply chain; target 1,500 farmers; community health programme in Pará
- Mondelez Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Group statement; Brazil among Cocoa Life countries; ~89% CLMRS coverage in West Africa; palm oil ~99% traceable to mill
- Lacta official site · search the archive · Official Lacta brand site with Mondelez International footer; Brazilian market
Company details
- Owned by
- Mondelez International
- Headquarters
- Brazil
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lacta ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lacta, last researched 30 October 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 Lacta.