“We have made it clear to the supplier we do not support the use of monkeys for harvesting and that all harvesting must be done by human labor.” – Costco
Oct 31, 2020
CNN – Costco has reportedly stopped purchasing Chaokoh coconut milk after PETA accused its manufacturer, the Thailand-based company Theppadungporn Coconut Co., of using forced monkey labor
PETA investigators from its Asia division found cruelty to monkeys at farms and facilities used by Theppadungporn Coconut Co., according to the animal rights group.
“When not being forced to pick coconuts or perform in circus-style shows for tourists, the animals were kept tethered, chained to old tires, or confined to cages barely larger than their bodies,” a PETA news release stated. “One coconut farmer confirmed that when monkeys are terrified and try to defend themselves, handlers may have their teeth pulled out.”
Theppadungporn told USA Today that it has audited coconut plantations using a third party and shared a copy of the 14-page “Monkey-Free Coconut Due Diligence Assessment.”
The report says 64 farms out of 817 were randomly selected and “did not find the use of monkey for coconut harvesting.”
“Following the recent news about the use of ‘monkey labour’ in Thailand’s coconut industry, Chaokoh, one of the world’s leaders in coconut milk production, reassures that we do not engage the use of monkey labour in our coconut plantations,” the company said in a statement, which noted that its suppliers have signed memorandums of understanding that there’s no monkey labor at their farms.
PETA is calling on all major grocers to stop selling Chaokoh milk products and promise to work with humane suppliers for their products.
“No kind shopper wants monkeys to be chained up and treated like coconut-picking machines,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk in a statement … Read more.
