Morinaga
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Tokyo confectionery maker selling Dars and Hi-Chew.
Morinaga publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Workers in Ghana and Vietnam are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden supply chain. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- 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 1 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 Vietnam, Ecuador and Cameroon.
- 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 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 (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: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Morinaga's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its cocoa is grown
From press and retailer reports; Morinaga doesn't say where its cocoa is grown. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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.
- 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 Morinaga does not say where most of its cocoa is grown; it names only Ghana (school and farmer support, a Ghana-origin product) and Vietnam (work with farmers on fermentation), and no split is disclosed. In FY2024, 78% of cocoa for its Japanese products was 'sustainable', mostly via Barry Callebaut's Cocoa Horizons on a mass-balance basis, against a 100% target for FY2025. It funds education and child labour prevention in cocoa areas but publishes no child labour monitoring results or supplier list. It scored 24% in the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard and was ranked 33rd in 2026. Palm oil for Japanese products has been 100% RSPO certified since March 2024.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Morinaga scored 24% in the 2025 (6th edition) Chocolate Scorecard. It appears in the 7th edition (2026) ranking at position 33 (34 in the 6th); its 2026 score was not shown. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Morinaga buys sustainable cocoa through Barry Callebaut's Cocoa Horizons programme (mass balance), not Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- 2025 Chocolate Scorecard companies · search the archive · Morinaga scored 24% in the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard
- Chocolate Scorecard · search the archive · 7th edition ranking lists Morinaga at 33 (34 in 6th edition)
- Morinaga to distribute HI-CHEW candy in Australia (FoodNavigator, 2020) · search the archive · Morinaga products distributed in Australia via Asian grocery stores, then supermarkets
- Contributing to health and environment: Morinaga and Cocoa Horizons (Barry Callebaut) · search the archive · Morinaga targets 100% sustainable cocoa by 2025 with Cocoa Horizons; Koeda chocolate launched 2020
Published by Morinaga or its owner
- Sustainable procurement (Morinaga) · search the archive · 78% sustainable cacao FY2024 (Cocoa Horizons mass balance); 100% RSPO palm oil in Japan; Ghana and Vietnam work; 627 children freed from child labour
- Morinaga Group Guidelines for the Procurement of Cacao Beans (2022) · search the archive · Commits to prefer mainly certified sustainable beans and to address child labour; names no origins or targets
Company details
- Owned by
- Morinaga & Co., Ltd.
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Morinaga ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/morinaga, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Morinaga.