Meiji

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

Japanese food company making chocolate bars.

Meiji scored 11/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain benchmark, and workers in Ghana and Madagascar are very unlikely to earn a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 2 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 a failing or very low rating (KnowTheChain 11/100 in 2026). Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (child labour, last recorded in 2022) was found by its own checks and is being fixed.
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.

How grades are decided

Checks its own supply chain. Meiji looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found child labour in 2022 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.

Good requirements 2 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 and Venezuela, 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
Met: No child or forced labour findings it isn't fixingIts own checks found child labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade.
Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
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 rangeAlso traces or certifies: palm oil

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: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: KnowTheChain 11/100 (2026)

Stars it would earn as Good:
Star	Awarded for
	Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where its cocoa is grown

Meiji says which countries its cocoa comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.

Where its cocoa is grown, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
Ghana	Strong protections	Well below a living wage	Low
Madagascar	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Brazil	Systematic violations	Below a living wage	Moderate
Dominican Republic	Strong protections	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Ecuador	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Mexico	Regular violations	Below a living wage	Moderate
Peru	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Venezuela	No guarantee of rights	Not rated	High
Vietnam	Systematic violations	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), and traces or certifies all of its palm oil.
Reports child labour cases found and fixed
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

Research notes Meiji buys cocoa from Ghana, Madagascar (MG), Brazil, the Dominican Republic (DO), Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela (VE) and Vietnam, with no shares published. It expected 100% of beans to be 'Meiji Sustainable Cacao' from regions with its own farmer support in FY2024, but this is a company programme, not independent certification. Child labour monitoring (ICI's CLMRS) covers Ghana, with all suppliers due by FY2030. It scored 11/100 in KnowTheChain 2026 and 36% in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard (up from 32% in 2025). All palm oil is RSPO certified.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
KnowTheChain	Problem found	Meiji scored 11/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Benchmark (22nd of 45), with 0 for remedy for supply chain workers. View
Chocolate Scorecard	Listed	Meiji scored 36% in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard (24th of 34), 'needs significantly more work on policy and implementation', with 40% for child and forced labour and 10% for living income; up from 32% in 2025. View
US Department of Labor goods lists	Listed	Cocoa from Ghana, Meiji's largest support programme origin, is on the US DOL child labour list. View
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)	Not listed	Meiji's cocoa is bought through its own Meiji Cacao Support programme rather than Fairtrade certification. 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?
2022	Meiji reported that its child labour monitoring system identified 20 cases of child labour on Ghanaian cocoa farms supplying it between October 2021 and September 2022.Found and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself.	PartlyCases found through Meiji's CLMRS monitoring in Ghana; 5 remediated and 15 under remediation at the time of reporting.

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage scorecard: Meiji · search the archive · Meiji scored 11/100, ranked 22 of 45; remedy score 0
Meiji: 7th edition Chocolate Scorecard · search the archive · Meiji 36% overall (24 of 34); child & forced labour 40%, living income 10%, traceability 58%
Meiji RSPO certified palm oil · search the archive · 100% RSPO certified palm oil at all plants; mills identified for all volume Jan-Jun 2023
Meiji Hello Panda Chocolate Biscuits 47g (Coles) · search the archive · Meiji chocolate snacks sold at Coles in Australia

Published by Meiji or its owner

Meiji Cacao Support activity (Meiji) · search the archive · Nine origin countries; CLMRS on 3,629 Ghana farms; 20 child labour cases found Oct 2021-Sep 2022, 5 remediated
Meiji Cacao Support new targets (Meiji, Jan 2024) · search the archive · Farm traceability by FY2026; zero child labour via CLMRS in Ghana by FY2026, all suppliers by FY2030
Meiji Sustainable Cacao to reach 100% (Meiji, July 2024) · search the archive · 100% Meiji Sustainable Cacao expected in FY2024, defined as beans from regions with Meiji farmer support

Company details

Owned by: Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: Japan
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Meiji ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/meiji-chocolate, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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