Russell Stover
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Kansas City maker of boxed chocolates.
Russell Stover is rated as part of a company that scored 15/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain benchmark, and workers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
Better-graded chocolate
Graded higher than Russell Stover, selling the same kinds of things.
Tony's ChocolonelyChocolate & cocoaFairtrade chocolate barsHolds Fairtrade certification and publishes its suppliers.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 starsAlter EcoChocolate & cocoaOrganic fair trade chocolateHolds Fair for Life certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 starsMoser RothChocolate & cocoaPremium chocolate blocks sold at ALDIHolds SA8000 certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 stars
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Russell Stover? Send a right of reply.
Compare Russell Stover with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a failing or very low rating (KnowTheChain 15/100 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 and 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Russell Stover looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced and 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 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 and forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade. Unconfirmed reports of child labour are listed below. They don't affect 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 rangeOnly in a few products: palm oil
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: KnowTheChain 15/100 (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
Ghana has the largest share, 69%. Côte d'Ivoire is next, at 15%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 69% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 15% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador | 8% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | 4% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | 2% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Madagascar | 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Papua New Guinea | 1% | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
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).
- Traces high-risk raw materials to the mine or farm and fixes problems found
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Modern slavery statement
- Uses palm oil in only a few products and traces or certifies most of it. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Russell Stover makes its chocolates in its own US plants from cocoa bought through parent Lindt & Sprüngli, which sources all group cocoa via its Farming Program or other responsible sourcing standards and says all of it has been Rainforest Alliance certified since 2026. Country shares are the share of Lindt Farming Program farmers per country (2022), not Russell Stover-specific. Lindt runs child labour monitoring and aims to support 5,000 West African farmers towards a living income by 2027, but has no group-wide living income deadline; it ranked 13th in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard, below the top tier.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Parent Lindt & Sprüngli ranked 13th of 34 medium and large manufacturers in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard, below the top tier. View |
| KnowTheChain | Problem found | Parent Lindt & Sprüngli scored 15/100 and ranked 16th of 45 in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage forced labour benchmark. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, the main origins of Lindt group cocoa, is on the US list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Parent's Australian arm, Lindt & Sprüngli (Australia) Pty Ltd, lodges modern slavery statements covering group cocoa sourcing. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Lindt group cocoa is Rainforest Alliance certified, not Fairtrade. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Lindt's US subsidiaries were sued in 2026 under DC consumer protection law over alleged child labour in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire cocoa. 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 | Parent Lindt & Sprüngli, whose group programme sources cocoa for Russell Stover, reported 788 children in its cocoa supply chain in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire receiving child labour remediation (Lindt modern slavery statement, 2022). Source · search the archiveFound 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. | PartlyLindt says remediation support was given to the children identified through its child labour monitoring system. |
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.
- A 2024 Swiss public television (SRF) investigation filmed young children harvesting and carrying cocoa on Ghanaian farms supplying parent Lindt & Sprüngli; Lindt said it would investigate. Source
- International Rights Advocates sued Lindt's US subsidiaries in Washington DC in May 2026 (moved to federal court in July), alleging its child labour monitoring is ineffective and its marketing misleading; Lindt denies the claims. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- ILAB Cocoa Storyboard (US Department of Labor) · search the archive · Cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana listed for child and forced labour
- Children work in chocolate maker Lindt's supply chain in Ghana (Swissinfo) · search the archive · SRF 2024 investigation filmed children carrying cocoa on Lindt supplier farms
- Lindt accused of misleading consumers on child labour (ConfectioneryNews, 2026) · search the archive · Suit moved to US federal court in Washington DC on 21 July 2026; Lindt denies the allegations
- Sustainability (Ghirardelli / Lindt & Sprüngli group) · search the archive · All cocoa via Farming Program or other standards; all Rainforest Alliance certified from 2026; RSPO palm oil; living income plan
- Russell Stover Sugar Free Toffee Squares (Amazon Australia) · search the archive · Russell Stover products sold online on Amazon Australia
- Snack & Bakery: Russell Stover expanding plants in Kansas, Texas while closing Colorado facility · search the archive · Kansas City HQ; owned by Lindt & Sprüngli since 2014; expanding plants in Corsicana TX and Abilene and Iola KS
Published by Russell Stover or its owner
- Lindt & Sprüngli (Australia) Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2022 · search the archive · Farming Program farmers by country (Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Dom. Rep., Peru, Madagascar, PNG); beans traceable; 788 children helped
Company details
- Owned by
- Lindt & Sprüngli
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Russell Stover ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/russell-stover, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Russell Stover.