Girl Scout Cookies contain palm oil from child labor

• The palm oil industry in Southeast Asia depends on child labor, according to a study by the AP.
• Popular western snacks are made with oil, such as cookies and ice cream.
• Products from domestic brands like Kellogg’s and Nestlé use the oil, as does Ferrero, which produces Girl Scout cookies.
• Children have to move wheelbarrows that weigh more than they do, and prune and weed trees without shoes, while they are exposed to fertilizers and pesticides while working.
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A study conducted by the AP found that child labor in Indonesia and Malaysia is being used to make popular Western snacks, including Girl Scout cookies.

Palm oil is a common ingredient in countless Western snacks, such as cookies and ice cream. Palm oil often causes environmental damage when harvested, but sustainable versions of the oil have become more popular in recent years.

Although child labor is often swept under the rug when children simply accompany their parents to work, in reality, it is an integral part of the $ 65 billion palm oil industry, as the AP study said.

Children perform a variety of tasks to harvest palm oil, including pruning and weeding without shoes and moving wheelbarrows full of fruit that are more than twice their body weight, the study noted.

Some children come to work with their parents due to the lack of accessible day care centers, but even so, they are exposed to pesticides and illegal fertilizers in other countries, putting them in danger, according to an AP report.

Binsar Bakkara / AP images

Worse, an entire family can earn less than $ 5 per box of Girl Scout cookies after working a full day, according to the AP report.

Using US customs records and data from people involved in the palm industry, including buyers, traders and producers, AP has tracked child labor down to the products they make.

The study found that child labor is used in products sold by well-known names in the United States, including Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo and Ferrero, which makes cookies for Girl Scouts.

John Moore / Staff / Getty Images

Girl Scout Cookies have “certified sustainability” labels on their products, but in fact their cookies contain “mixed” palm oil, meaning they are made with a sustainable and unsustainable oil blend, according to the AP report .

The Girl Scouts prides itself on being an empowering organization for girls, but some of its members feel that using products that harm the environment and benefit children is against that message, according to an AP investigation.

For example, when Olivia Chaffin, a Tennessee-based girl scout, realized what was really in the cookies she was selling, she started writing letters to the US Girl Scout leader for more information on how the company gets its palm oil for your cookies, according to the AP.

The AP also reported that Chaffin and his troop members have stopped selling cookies since their discovery, and Chaffin has initiated a petition to remove the oil.

Mark Humphrey / AP images

“I thought the Girl Scouts should make the world a better place,” Chaffin told the AP. “But this is not making the world any better.”

Ferrero released a memorandum “Transparency in the Supply Chain” in December on the use of palm oil in its products, which says it works to “ensure a supply chain for palm oil 100% free of deforestation and exploitation”.

The memo goes on to say that the company will also be working to identify and correct any problems with its suppliers, noting that Ferrero is willing to sever relations with any suppliers that do not change its workflow when problems are identified.

“If these actions are not carried out by our suppliers by agreement, Ferrero will take the necessary measures, including the termination of the commercial relationship,” says the memo.

Insider contacted Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, Ferrero and the Girl Scouts to comment on this story.