Woolworths own brand chocolate

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

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Woolworths' own-label chocolate blocks and baking chocolate.

We couldn't confirm where Woolworths own brand chocolate gets most of its cocoa.

Also worth knowing

Most cocoa is grown in countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, where workers are very unlikely to earn a living wage.

Better-graded chocolate

Graded higher than Woolworths own brand chocolate, selling the same kinds of things.

Tony's ChocolonelyChocolate & cocoaFairtrade chocolate barsHolds Fairtrade certification and publishes its suppliers.GoodGoes Above and Beyond Alter EcoChocolate & cocoaOrganic fair trade chocolateHolds Fair for Life certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond Moser RothChocolate & cocoaPremium chocolate blocks sold at ALDIHolds SA8000 certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond

See every chocolate brand

See better chocolate options

Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Woolworths own brand chocolate? Send a right of reply.

Compare Woolworths own brand chocolate with another brand

Brand to compare with

Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 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 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 where they're a major part of its range

Red flags 1

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Accreditations 1

Rainforest AllianceSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.

Estimates for its products

Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Woolworths own brand chocolate'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

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Woolworths own brand chocolate gets most of its cocoa, so this shows where cocoa is usually grown.

Where its cocoa is grown, share by country, and conditions there
Country	Share	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
Côte d'Ivoire	45%	Regular violations	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Ghana	25%	Strong protections	Well below a living wage	Low
Ecuador	10%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Cameroon	10%	Systematic violations	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Nigeria	5%	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Indonesia	5%	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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
Modern slavery statement
It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.

Research notes Woolworths sells chocolate blocks, seasonal chocolate and baking chocolate under its own labels. Its No-Deforestation Policy (December 2025) requires own-brand chocolate made from 31 December 2025 to use cocoa certified by Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade, or with evidence of due diligence under rules such as the EU deforestation law; it sets no cocoa-specific child labour or living income requirements. The 2024 Chocolate Scorecard rated Woolworths orange, and it received a 'Retail Stayers' award for repeat participation in 2026. Woolworths Group ranked first in KnowTheChain's 2026 food and beverage benchmark, but it does not say where its cocoa is grown.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Chocolate Scorecard	Listed	Rated orange for private-label chocolate in 2024; given a Retail Stayers award for repeat participation in the 2026 (7th) edition, with no score published in coverage. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	Woolworths Group lodges annual joint modern slavery statements, most recently for F25. View
KnowTheChain	Listed	Woolworths Group ranked 1st of 45 companies with 56/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Benchmark. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

Mighty Earth: The scores are in · search the archive · Woolworths among eight retailers given the Retail Stayers award in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard.
KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage Scorecard: Woolworths Group · search the archive · Scored 56/100 and ranked 1st of 45 companies in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark.
Woolworths Group Modern Slavery Statement F25 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Woolworths Group's F25 joint modern slavery statement.
SmartCompany: How ethical are the $62 worth of Easter chocolates we'll each buy this year? · search the archive · Orange means progressing but needing improvement.
University of Wollongong: Annual chocolate scorecard reveals the dark side to your Easter treat · search the archive · Woolworths (including Big W) rated orange in the 2024 Chocolate Scorecard.

Published by Woolworths own brand chocolate or its owner

Woolworths Group No-Deforestation Policy and Supplier Guidance (POL.089 v2, Dec 2025) · search the archive · Own-brand cocoa from 31 Dec 2025 must be Rainforest Alliance (segregated/IP) or Fairtrade (segregated), or meet regulated due diligence such as EUDR.

Company details

Owned by: Woolworths Group Limited
Headquarters: Australia
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Woolworths own brand chocolate ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/woolworths-own-brand-chocolate, 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 Woolworths own brand chocolate.

Send evidence Send a right of reply