Chocolate and Human Trafficking: Verified Facts, Supply Chain Risks, and How to Identify Ethical Brands

Labor exploitation and human trafficking exist in parts of the commercial cocoa supply chain, primarily driven by systemic poverty, weak governance, and opaque subcontracting. In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce roughly 60–70 percent of the world’s cocoa, documented risks include forced adult and child labor, debt bondage, and trafficking for forced labor on cocoa farms. This explainer outlines how trafficking manifests in chocolate production, how certification and corporate policies attempt to address it, how to interpret claims and certifications, and what verifiable due diligence looks like for companies and consumers.