Nestlé (KitKat)
Partly verified✓ Checks its own supply chain. Nestlé (KitKat) actively looks for problems such as child or forced labour, publishes what it finds and works to fix it. That openness is uncommon, so problems it finds and reports itself are shown below but don't count against its grade.
Nestlé (KitKat) raises serious concerns: there are documented abuses of workers, and workers in Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil and Ecuador are very unlikely to earn a living wage. A Fair Labor Association investigation of Nestlé's Côte d'Ivoire cocoa supply chain (2012) found child labour, widespread machete injuries and workers exceeding 60-hour weeks at harvest.
Last researched 7 October 2026
Not doing enough. Workers in the supply chain are likely underpaid, unprotected or in danger, and in the worst cases face forced or child labour. Look for a better-graded alternative. What this grade means
Good: 1 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 3
- Does not pay a living wage
- Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Hidden or unaudited supply chain (no certification or documentation, or major production in countries with poor worker rights without independent audits)
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire 58% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil 13% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador 11% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana 7% | Some protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Nigeria 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
| Cameroon 3% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia 3% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Rainforest Alliance: Audited farm standard with no minimum price; weaker on wages than Fairtrade.
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Modern slavery statement
All cocoa in chocolate made at Nestlé's Australian factory, including KitKat, is Rainforest Alliance certified; KitKat in Australia was never Fairtrade (it moved to UTZ, now part of Rainforest Alliance, in 2011), while KitKat in the UK dropped Fairtrade in 2020. In 2023, 85.5% of Nestlé's cocoa came through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, whose child labour monitoring covered about 179,000 children, and its Income Accelerator pays families up to CHF 500 a year for school enrolment and farm practices. An independent 2024 evaluation found participating household incomes rose 15% to about US$1,800 a year, and there is no evidence that farmers earn a living income.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Found | Nestlé scored 70% and ranked 5th in the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard, just below the top tier. View ↗ |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | KitKat in Australia is Rainforest Alliance certified rather than Fairtrade, and UK KitKat left Fairtrade in 2020. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Found | Nestlé Australia lodges annual modern slavery statements, most recently for 2024. View ↗ |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Found | Nestlé UK publishes an annual modern slavery statement on the UK registry, including for 2026. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, Nestlé's largest West African origins, is on the US list of goods made with child or forced labour. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Found | Tracks child labour allegations and lawsuits over Nestlé's cocoa supply chain, along with Nestlé's responses. View ↗ |
Confirmed issues
Problems confirmed by a court, regulator, completed investigation or the company itself. Issues more than 15 years old, or 10–15 years old where the company made amends, are removed. Problems a company finds and publishes itself, and is fixing, are shown but don't count against it.
| When | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nestlé's own child labour report (2019) identified 18,283 children doing hazardous work such as carrying heavy loads and using sharp tools on farms supplying its cocoa in 2017/18, and its 2023 Cocoa Plan report still records child labour cases being found each year. Found and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade, because the company found and published it itself. | Partly Runs child labour monitoring and remediation; cases still found each year. |
| 2012 | A Fair Labor Association investigation of Nestlé's Côte d'Ivoire cocoa supply chain (2012) found child labour, widespread machete injuries and workers exceeding 60-hour weeks at harvest. | Partly Published an action plan with the Fair Labor Association in 2012. |
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.
- Six Malian men alleged they were trafficked as children to work on Ivorian cocoa farms and sued Nestlé USA and Cargill for aiding child slavery; the US Supreme Court dismissed the case in 2021 on jurisdictional grounds without ruling on the facts. Source ↗
Sources (12)
- Nestlé Cocoa Plan Progress Report 2023 · archived copy · Sourcing by country (CI 55%, BR 13%, EC 11%, GH 7%, NG 5%, CM 3%, ID 3%); 85.5% via Cocoa Plan; CLMRS covers 178,553 children; 12,135 children no longer in risky work; Income Accelerator reaches 30,00
- Nestlé identifies over 18,000 child labourers in cocoa supply chain (Swissinfo) · archived copy · Nestlé's own report identified 18,283 children in child labour in 2017/18; 55% stopped after intervention
- FLA highlights underlying challenges of child labor after extensive investigation of Nestlé's cocoa supply chain · archived copy · 2012 FLA investigation found child labour, machete injuries and excessive hours
- Nestlé scales cocoa income program to 50,000 families (OneStopESG) · archived copy · Up to CHF 500 a year per family; KIT 2024 evaluation found household income rose 15% to about US$1,800
- Building resilience and shared value: Nestlé's Income Accelerator Program (Innovation Forum) · archived copy · Cash transfers conditional on school enrolment and pruning; target of 160,000 families by 2030
- The KitKat Cocoa Plan (KitKat Australia) · archived copy · All cocoa used at Nestlé's Australian factory is Rainforest Alliance certified
- Nestle to switch local Kit Kats to UTZ cocoa (Australian Food News) · archived copy · Australian KitKat moved to UTZ-certified cocoa from 2011; Fairtrade applied only to UK and Ireland
- KitKat drops Fairtrade for Rainforest Alliance (Global Citizen) · archived copy · UK and Ireland KitKat left Fairtrade in 2020
- US Supreme Court backs Nestle, Cargill in child slave labour suit (Al Jazeera) · archived copy · Nestlé USA v. Doe dismissed 8-1 in 2021 on jurisdiction
- 2025 Chocolate Scorecard companies · archived copy · Nestlé scored 70% in the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard; top tier is 75% and above
- Rating our Easter chocolate (Salvos) · archived copy · Nestlé ranked 5th in the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard
- Modern slavery (Nestlé Australia) · archived copy · Nestlé Australia publishes annual modern slavery statements 2020-2025
Last researched 7 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.