Costco drops Chaokoh coconut milk over forced monkey labor allegations

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PETA investigators in its Asia division have found cruelty to monkeys at farms and facilities used by Theppadungporn Coconut Co., according to the animal rights group.

“When they weren’t forced to pick coconuts or perform in circus-style shows for tourists, the animals were tied, chained to old tires or confined in cages barely larger than theirs. body, ”a press release from PETA said. “A coconut farmer confirmed that when monkeys are terrified and try to defend themselves, handlers can have their teeth pulled out.”

Chaokoh, one of the world’s leading producers of coconut milk and other coconut products, and Theppadungporn Coconut Co., did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Theppadungporn told USA Today that he audited coconut plantations using a third party and shared a 14-page copy of “Monkey-Free Coconut Due Diligence Assessment”. The report states that 64 out of 817 farms were selected at random and “did not find the use of the monkey for the coconut harvest.”

“Following recent news regarding the use of ‘monkey labor’ in the Thai coconut industry, Chaokoh, one of the world’s leading producers of coconut milk, reassures us that we are not using monkey labor in our coconut plantations, “the company said in a statement, which notes that its suppliers have signed memoranda of understanding that there is no monkey labor on their farms. .

PETA is calling on all major grocers to stop selling Chaokoh dairy products and to promise to work with cruelty-free suppliers for their products.

“No kind buyer wants monkeys chained and treated like coconut picking machines,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. “Costco made the right call to reject animal exploitation.”

Representatives for Costco said they could not officially comment on the matter to CNN.

In a letter to Newkirk, obtained from PETA, Costco’s vice president of food and sundries at Costco, Ken Kimble, said the wholesaler has launched an investigation and his supplier is visiting each establishment to check that it was not using monkey labor.

“We have stopped buying from our supplier / brand owner Chaokoh,” Kimble wrote in the letter dated September 29. “We have made it clear to the supplier that we do not support the use of monkeys for harvesting and that all harvesting must be done by human labor.”

In the letter, he also said: “We will continue to monitor the implementation of harvesting policies and when satisfied, we will resume purchasing.”

The letter also states that a “third-party auditor has been hired by Chaokoh to independently verify the implementation of these harvest policies” and the letter ends by saying that Costco will resume purchasing once it is satisfied that the harvest is performed by humans.

In a statement to CNN, Walmart, the country’s largest retailer, said it was in discussions with the manufacturer over the claims.

“Walmart is committed to taking responsibility for sourcing and we expect our suppliers will not tolerate animal abuse,” a Walmart spokesperson told CNN. “We will continue to engage with this supplier regarding our expectations, the seriousness of these allegations and the fact that the supplier will take corrective action if necessary.”

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