HelloFresh uses coconut milk obtained from monkey labor in Thailand, according to allegations from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is calling for a boycott of the meal delivery service.
Monkeys are chained, whipped, beaten and forced to spend long hours picking coconuts, an investigation by PETA Asia alleges. Claims of animals abuse are alleged at 57 operations in nine provinces of Thailand, according to the findings released on Monday.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, HelloFresh said the company receives written assurances from its suppliers that its coconuts are not procured using monkeys.
"HelloFresh strictly condemns any use of monkey labor in its supply chain, and we take a hard position of not procuring from suppliers or selling coconut products which have been found to use monkey labor. We have written confirmation from all of our suppliers in the U.S. and globally that they do not engage in these practices."
"Monkeys are chained around the neck and forced to toil day in and day out, all for HelloFresh and other companies that lack a conscience," Tracy Reiman, PETA's executive vice president, claimed Monday in an emailed statement. "PETA is calling on everyone, including HelloFresh, to stop buying canned coconut milk from Thailand until moneys are no longer used and abused for profit."
Slave monkeys in action - https://vimeo.com/752655426
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hellofresh-monkeys-coconut-milk-peta-animal-abuse/
Apparently this has been a thing for awhile....
2020
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53276071
A number of supermarkets have removed some coconut water and oil from their shelves after it emerged the products were made with fruit picked by monkeys.
The monkeys are snatched from the wild and trained to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said.
The animal rights group said pigtailed macaques in Thailand were treated like "coconut-picking machines".
In response Waitrose, Ocado, Co-op and Boots vowed to stop selling some goods.
DID A MONKEY PICK YOUR COCONUTS? THE MYTHS AND TRUTHS
https://naturalfrenchsoap.com/blogs/soapedia/did-a-monkey-pick-your-coconuts-the-myths-and-truths
2020
Recent media reports claim that, in Thailand, pigtailed macaques are being taken from the wild. Made to pick around 1,000 coconuts a day, they are mistreated by farmers who want a piece of the global coconut market.
But is there any truth to the claims of abuse and forced labour? Is it just sensationalist reporting? Did a monkey really pick your coconuts??
AN ANCIENT PRACTICE AND A MODERN DILEMMA
Training monkeys to pick coconuts is a 400-year-old practice in Thailand; there's even a Buddhist school for that purpose, promoting training without force or violence. The practise is common in places such as India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, among others.
You see, monkeys are super-pickers, naturally at home in the tall coconut trees. Males can harvest over 1,000 coconuts a day; females around 600.
On the other hand, humans are super-slow and clumsy in the treetops, with a mere 80 coconuts a day to their name.
Since coconut oil, water, milk, and flesh are big businesses, it's only natural farmers would use the most cost-effective and productive harvesting methods.
I am glad my chickens don't have access to the internet. I make them eat bugs in my pasture all day long.....
Monkeys are chained, whipped, beaten and forced to spend long hours picking coconuts, an investigation by PETA Asia alleges. Claims of animals abuse are alleged at 57 operations in nine provinces of Thailand, according to the findings released on Monday.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, HelloFresh said the company receives written assurances from its suppliers that its coconuts are not procured using monkeys.
"HelloFresh strictly condemns any use of monkey labor in its supply chain, and we take a hard position of not procuring from suppliers or selling coconut products which have been found to use monkey labor. We have written confirmation from all of our suppliers in the U.S. and globally that they do not engage in these practices."
"Monkeys are chained around the neck and forced to toil day in and day out, all for HelloFresh and other companies that lack a conscience," Tracy Reiman, PETA's executive vice president, claimed Monday in an emailed statement. "PETA is calling on everyone, including HelloFresh, to stop buying canned coconut milk from Thailand until moneys are no longer used and abused for profit."
Slave monkeys in action - https://vimeo.com/752655426
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hellofresh-monkeys-coconut-milk-peta-animal-abuse/
Apparently this has been a thing for awhile....
2020
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53276071
A number of supermarkets have removed some coconut water and oil from their shelves after it emerged the products were made with fruit picked by monkeys.
The monkeys are snatched from the wild and trained to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said.
The animal rights group said pigtailed macaques in Thailand were treated like "coconut-picking machines".
In response Waitrose, Ocado, Co-op and Boots vowed to stop selling some goods.
DID A MONKEY PICK YOUR COCONUTS? THE MYTHS AND TRUTHS
https://naturalfrenchsoap.com/blogs/soapedia/did-a-monkey-pick-your-coconuts-the-myths-and-truths
2020
Recent media reports claim that, in Thailand, pigtailed macaques are being taken from the wild. Made to pick around 1,000 coconuts a day, they are mistreated by farmers who want a piece of the global coconut market.
But is there any truth to the claims of abuse and forced labour? Is it just sensationalist reporting? Did a monkey really pick your coconuts??
AN ANCIENT PRACTICE AND A MODERN DILEMMA
Training monkeys to pick coconuts is a 400-year-old practice in Thailand; there's even a Buddhist school for that purpose, promoting training without force or violence. The practise is common in places such as India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, among others.
You see, monkeys are super-pickers, naturally at home in the tall coconut trees. Males can harvest over 1,000 coconuts a day; females around 600.
On the other hand, humans are super-slow and clumsy in the treetops, with a mere 80 coconuts a day to their name.
Since coconut oil, water, milk, and flesh are big businesses, it's only natural farmers would use the most cost-effective and productive harvesting methods.
I am glad my chickens don't have access to the internet. I make them eat bugs in my pasture all day long.....
