Crossing Continents

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Crossing Continents: The Bitter Song of the Hazelnut

The Bitter Song of the Hazelnut

BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, The Bitter Song of the Hazelnut

Long hours and little pay for the workers who pick Turkey's hazelnuts.

Nutella is the world's favourite spread, but how much does its maker, Ferrero, know about how the hazelnuts are picked?

Every August tens of thousands of Kurdish migrant workers, including children, toil long hours for a pittance in the mountains of northern Turkey picking hazelnuts for the spreads and chocolate bars the world adores. Turkey provides 70% of all hazelnut supplies – and the biggest buyer is Ferrero, maker of Nutella and Kinder Bueno. The confectionery giant says it’s committed to ethical sourcing, and aiming for its hazelnuts to be 100% traceable next year. But how is that possible in Turkey, with its half a million tiny family orchards, where child labour is rife? Tim Whewell investigates Ferrero’s complex supply chain and finds that while hazelnuts are celebrated in Turkish culture and song, it’s a sector where workers and farmers feel increasingly unhappy and reform is very hard to achieve.

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