Labour Lens

Mars (Maltesers, M&M's, Snickers)

Harm on record

Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.

Chocolate & cocoa

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

Maker of Mars bars, Maltesers, M&M's, Snickers and Twix.

In 2023, children as young as five were harvesting cocoa, some with machetes, on Ghanaian farms in Mars' supply chain.

Also worth knowing

Mars has only partly put this right.

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Why it's graded Harm on record

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in Ecuador, Nigeria and Indonesia, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
  • 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 3

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
  • 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

Mars (Maltesers, M&M's, Snickers) says its cocoa comes from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Press and retailer reports name Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Peru. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.

Where its cocoa is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
Côte d'IvoireRegular violationsFar below a living wageModerate
GhanaStrong protectionsWell below a living wageLow
EcuadorNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Dominican RepublicStrong protectionsWell below a living wageModerate
PeruSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
CameroonUsual for the industrySystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
NigeriaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

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. Source
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Publishes supplier list
  • Invests in worker and farming communities
  • It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
  • Traces or certifies most but not all of its palm oil. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Mars says 98% of its 2025 cocoa came through its Responsibly Sourced Cocoa programme, audited against standards such as Rainforest Alliance, and that all cocoa from participating West African farmers had child labour monitoring. It does not publish cocoa volumes by country, child labour case numbers or farmer incomes. It backs Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire's Living Income Differential but shows no living income evidence. It reports its palm oil as fully traceable to mills and mostly RSPO certified. It scored 66% on the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard; no 2026 result has been published for it.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Chocolate ScorecardUnclearInvited to the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard, but no 2026 result for Mars appears in published coverage; rated 66% in the 2025 edition and won its gender award. View
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterListedMars, Incorporated files joint modern slavery statements covering Mars Wrigley Australia Holdings Pty Ltd. View
US Department of Labor goods listsListedCocoa 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 CentreProblem foundRecords cocoa child labour lawsuits naming Mars, including Coubaly v. Cargill, which was dismissed, and the 2023 Ghana case. View
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)UnclearMars's Australian chocolate range is not marketed as 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 recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2023A 2023 CBS News investigation found children as young as five, some using machetes, harvesting cocoa on every farm it visited in Ghana that supplies Mars, including children listed as removed from the work. Source · archived copyPartlyMars condemned child labour, said it would investigate once given details, and says it now monitors child labour across its West African cocoa programme (2025). No help for the children is 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, alleging unjust enrichment and consumer fraud. 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
  1. Food Processing: CBS News – Children still working for Mars Inc.'s Ghana cocoa suppliers (2023) · archived copy · CBS found children as young as 5 harvesting cocoa for Mars in Ghana; Mars said it would investigate and that over 65% of West African supply had CLMRS; class action filed.
  2. International Rights Advocates: Ghana case · search the archive · Nine Ghanaian children; filed 29 Nov 2023; D.C. Superior Court denied the defendants' motions to dismiss (January 2026); judgment pending.
  3. OneStopESG: Mars Cocoa for Generations 2025 progress report (Sep 2026) · search the archive · 98% of 2025 cocoa via RSC programme; 100% of West African RSC farmer volume covered by CLMRS; no case numbers; $1bn 2018-2028 commitment; CARE savings groups.
  4. Supply Chain Digital: Mars advances resilience and traceability (Sep 2026) · search the archive · Origins named include Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Peru, Brazil, Indonesia; no country shares; mass balance means product origin cannot be guaranteed.
  5. Australian Manufacturing: Mars Wrigley invests AU$25.5m in Ballarat (2022) · search the archive · Chocolate made in Ballarat for over 40 years, including M&M's and Maltesers.
  6. Consumer Goods Forum: Mars forest positive KPI profile 2024 · search the archive · 2023 palm oil 100% traceable to mill, 97% to plantation, 98.6% RSPO certified.

Published by Mars (Maltesers, M&M's, Snickers) or its owner

  1. Mars: Cocoa for Generations · search the archive · Buys cocoa worldwide including West Africa; RSC suppliers audited against certification standards including Rainforest Alliance; CLMRS required in high-risk West African origins.

Company details

Headquarters
United States
Employees
About 150,000
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Mars (Maltesers, M&M's, Snickers) ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mars, 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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