Just Kai has a list of child-labour free Easter treats (file picture). Photo: 123rf
A website promoting ethical food producers is encouraging New Zealanders to put their money where their mouths are and buy slavery-free Easter eggs.
The spokesperson for Just Kai, Heather Roberts, said its annual list of child-labour free Easter treats was growing every year.
"When people hear about the issue of child labour in the cocoa industry, they're really shocked but they also want to do something about it. And that's why it's great to have all these products, from high-end to really accessible options."
The most recent report on child labour shows that rates of child labour had increased for the first time in many years, thought to largely be due to Covid, she said.
"Many of those kids are working in the cocoa industry, where at least 20 percent of the workforce is children. They mostly work on their own family's farms, where their labour is needed by their families due to extreme poverty.
