Did a Monkey Pick Your Coconuts?
- 23
- Sep
In some regions of the world, pig-tailed macaques are intentionally bred and trained – often with punishment – to harvest coconuts. The monkeys are always tethered to their “handler” and are not permitted to eat the coconuts they collect. No statistics exist detailing exactly how many monkeys are bred and used for this purpose. In an effort to help compassionate consumers make informed choices, Animal Place reached out to a number of companies that sell coconut oil or other products containing coconuts. This is not an exhaustive list and you can reach out to a company yourself and let us know if they respond. Our Approved! list includes companies that do not use monkeys and, also important, that engage in practices protecting the rights of human workers as well (e.g. fair trade, no child labor.) We will add to this list as we learn more information.
Photo by David Edwards, under Creative Commons License
APPROVED! Companies That DO NOT Use Monkeys AND are Fair-Trade
These companies engage in ethical business practices, ensuring human workers are properly compensated for their work. They do not use monkeys or human children to harvest coconuts.
Amy & Brian
Daiya
3 Buddhas Coconut Water
Alaffia
Aunt Patty’s
Ayam
Artisana Organics
Better Body Foods
Big Tree Farms
Califia Farms
Carrington Farms
Coconut Bliss
COCO LUXE LIFE (Australia)
Coconut Magic (Australia)
Coconut Secret
Dr. Bronner’s
Earth Circle Organics
Earth Conscious
Harmless Harvest
La Tourangelle Artisan Oils
Maison Orphee
Naked Coconuts
Native Pacific “Banaban” (Queensland)
Nutiva
Ojio (Ultimate Superfoods)
Sanso-Boeki LLC (Japan)
So Delicious
Silk
Spectrum Organics
Trader Joe’s
Tropical Traditions
Vita Coco
Companies that responded but did not clarify whether monkeys were used:
Taste the Dream (Hain-Celestial) – stated that their products are fair-trade but did not clarify that only adult humans harvested coconuts.
Coconut Oil Supreme
Mercola
Blue Diamond
Companies that have not responded yet:
Better Body Foods
Native Forest
Nature’s Way
Thai Kitchen
Trident (Australia)
Bio Foods
Chaokoh
Coconut Beach
Harvest Bay
LouAna
Nature’s Bounty
Nature’s Charm
Safeway
Spiral Foods
Taste of Thai
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Hi, this is something I have never heard of before either!
I have just had a look at the brand of Coconut Oil I have in my cupboard and it does not appear to be included in your list, so I was wondering if you would like to add this to your research:
Banaban Coconut Oil Extra Virgin marketed by Nature Pacific Pty Ltd in Queensland, Australia.
Hi Sharon – we will add it to the list of companies to contact!
What about Costco coconut oil? They are known for animal cruelty.
Hi I have a brand called Biona Organic which isn’t listed please could you find out what they do please. Also thank you for informing me of this barbaric trade. U.K
Hi- what about VITA. They are big here in NYC.
Bought a fresh coconut in Toronto – brand of Mason – don’t know the country of origin.
Could you contact them?
Some of the vegan cheeses I buy contain coconut oil, such as Field Roast Grain Meat Co. (Chao cheese slices) and Follow Your Heart Provolone style slices. Do you know if these companies use coconut oil picked by monkeys? Thank you!
Is Pam coconut oil cooking spray cruelty free?
I contacted Thai Kitchen and they replied:
“Our coconuts are harvested by human workers. For information concerning our fair employment practices, please use this link to our Corporate website:
http://www.mccormickcorporation.com/Our-Commitment/Sustainable-Production/California-Transparency-in-Supply-Chains-Act “
What about Koyo brand selling Yogurt and other stuff from Coconut
Thai Kitchen?
We’ll look into it.
What about Violife?
Someone else who contacted them, said they responded with this:
Dear —–,
Your question of animal cruelty is very important and something we have taken measures against.
We use large, well renowned European coconut oil processors who are committed against child labor and the use of animals (monkeys).
They are supplied crude coconut oil only from recognized farms committed against child labor and animal cruelty. This of course involves us paying a premium that we gladly do.
Furthermore we – Arivia – and our suppliers are members of SEDEX (Regarding Ethical Trading covering No Animal Labour & Abuse).
Stay tuned on our social media pages for all Violife news!
We remain at your disposal,
Kindest Regards,
The Violife Team
According to PETAs website Violife does not use monkeys to pick coconuts
violife is cruelty free, as shown here:
https://www.peta.org/living/food/coconut-brands-no-forced-monkey-labor/
Can you check Siete coconut flour tortillas. I eat them an get them from Whole Foods and other stores. Here is the website. Thank you.https://sietefoods.com/collections/tortillas
We will add them to our list of companies to contact!
Hello! I appreciate your work. Respectfully, though, I wonder if you are simply asking companies if they use coconuts sourced from farms that use monkeys. That means you are counting on the companies being 100% truthful in their response. Also, some companies honestly don’t know or don’t want to know the details about what happens on farms overseas that provide their coconuts. Farmers who produce eggs are the same; they don’t necessarily know about cruel practices that happen at the hatcheries where they get their chicks and pullets. I’m sorry to say I don’t trust your list of companies if it comes from conversations you have with them. Sadly I only trust PETA, because they physically go to these countries and see the farm production practices with their own eyes. Sadly we can’t trust commercial industries to tell the truth, and in a way they can’t be blamed because they are only struggling to feed their families. It is simply up to us to completely boycott these products unless an investigation shows them to be using harmless practices. We can’t take any chances on participating with any industry that might be using these practices. Very sad to say.
I use Earth Circle Organics EVCO…if you’d like to add to your list of companies to contact. Thank you.
Hi MJ – yes, we can add that to the list to contact!
I just checked and I have Spectrum and Simply nature. They are both organic.
Can you check on Nature’s Way as well?
Yes, Dessa, we can add that company to our list as well.
Hello, could you please add Cocobella to your list as well?
Thanks
I just learned of this from Peta today in 2020!
I looked in my cupboard and saw i have some from thailad. the Brands are called kosa, Grace and i noticed on your list on those that did not respoind Thai Kitchen.
Petas website indicated two bad ones are Aroy-D and Chaoko (which i see on your list that have not responded yet).
Thanks for that info! – Claire, Social Media Manager
this is disgusting, so if you are participating in this cruelty stop now. I will not enter any of your stores or eat at your restaurants until I hear this practice has stopped.
You really owe it to yourself to start investing your passion in more meaningful things. Who’s to say that monkeys don’t enjoy the work/engagement? Is this seriously something that you’re going to organise your life around?
Do we? It’s meaningful to our supporters who want to avoid products that harm animals. And if you think stealing baby monkeys from the wild to tether them 24/7 to pick coconuts for humans is a nice thing to do, we can’t help you there. Thanks for stopping by – perhaps you can refocus your efforts on endeavors that inspire you instead of leaving rude comments on things you don’t really care about.
Hi, Joe. I don’t share your belief that monkeys are the beneficiaries here. It doesn’t really jive with the notion of capitalism. Hopefully, you focus on other animal issues where you find more meaning (meaning, you consider at least some other animals important).
Seriously? You came all the way here, in the comments section of a vegan website, just to troll? Of course the monkeys don’t enjoy it. They have freaking chains around their necks! And people say vegans shove their beliefs don’t the throats of meat eaters? Well buddy, that’s exactly what you’re doing to us
If they are chained so that they can’t get away whose to say they want to be there. What a ridiculous thing to say.
And did slaves enjoy picking cotton and getting whipped? Monkeys are wild animals that should not be caged, and I am very sure they do NOT like being punished for not responding to commands.
The very first line is perhaps a blatant clue as to why people are passionate about this issue…”In some regions of the world, pig-tailed macaques are intentionally bred and trained – often with punishment – to harvest coconuts.” Cruelty and exploitation doesn’t usually sit well with most people, why are you ok with it?
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke.
Joe, The monkeys are whipped and tethered and kept as slaves. Their mothers are killed so the babies can be stolen and trained. I think it is pretty clear in any of the eye witness accounts and films that they are not enjoying this. If you were in a situation like these monkeys are, you would want us to organize our life around freeing you from the abuse.
When they are babies, their mothers are killed and they are then taken away from their families and natural habitats and trained by farmers.
They live with a very heavy metal collar around their necks with a heavy metal chain attached 24/7. The “trainers” make them stand on their hind legs for hours and hours so they can learn to stand all the time in order to reach the tallest coconuts. This is painful, as they have evolved to mostly walk on all fours.
Recently, in protest, a monkey threw a coconut at his “owner’s” head and killed him. The monkey was then killed.
Tell me, what animal in the world would “enjoy” being stolen from its mother, forced to live with heavy chains around his neck, while forced to pick coconuts for someone else all day, and then living in a cage all night? What kind of life is that and what kind of cluelessness does it require for someone to think that it is “enjoyable and engaging” for the enslaved?
It scares me that there are people in the world who can possibly be as clueless and apathetic as you.
Yes. It’s as simple as choosing the brand you buy. Do you think you would like to work with a collar around your neck all day? We used to do this to humans. It was called slavery. We know better now and maybe you will be enlighted enough one day to understand that wild animals shouldn’t spend thier lives in this kind of captivity.
Joe Blogg…Are you serious??? Animals are not here for humans to use or exploit!!!
What would you classify as “More meaningful” Joe Bloggs????
The monkeys are caged and chained. They are forced to pick coconuts instead of having the freedom to be in their natural habitat. Put yourself in their position. Would you like to be taken from your home, caged, chained and forced to work 24/7?
I understand your concern when there is so much suffering in the world. But I think this is a worthy pursuit.
Who’s to say indeed but usually when one enjoys the work you don’t have to put a noose around their neck and hold them on a leash.
Unless we somehow learn to communicate with animals and they can state a consent to an activity, it is highly immoral to assume that they enjoy it
Then may you be so enslaved to enjoy the same work/engagement. You need to look in to the abuse those monkeys are subjected to. The horrible existences those slaves are forced to endure. When there are companies that do not use them, why would anyone knowingly support the companies that do? Wow.
I’d say this is pretty meaningful and being chained up is never enjoyable to them
Protecting innocents from exploitation IS a meaningful thing to do. Compassionate people don’t find it a chore to
“organise’ their lives around not causing harm. Go Vegan.
These monkeys are abused their entire lives. They are worked to death. They have no freedom. They are kidnapped when babies, strung up and “exercised” to develop strong leg muscles. When their usefulness declines they are killed.
Joe bloggs…
Have you actually seen or heard about the way those monkeys are treated? Would YOU like to be treated that way?
It sounds like you don’t know much about this. Either that or you have a problem emotionally.
Joe, you are seriously naive if you think these monkeys “enjoy” being tethered all the time and treated like slaves. They are also kept tied by the neck where they can barely touch the ground to “stretch” them for the sole purpose of working for humans. They are not allowed to express basic monkey behavior like socializing with their own kind, building nests, moving, and more.
Before you make a judgement, maybe investigate a little deeper. There is a very deep level of animal cruelty going on by humans. We can stop this if we are informed and compassionate.
She most certainly does not “owe it to herself” to start investing her passion in more meaningful things. Who’s to say that cow’s don’t enjoy being slaughtered after a life of torture? And, she never said she was organizing her life around anything, it was just a comment. You live your life, let others do the same. That includes commenting or activism.
Slavery/exploitation, regardless of species, is something many of us prefer to engage in.
There are people, undoubtedly, who would feel that you yourself are not significant enough to protect if you were enslaved. However, I would speak out for you, too, –even if you “don’t get it” yet.. .
If they have to be beaten in order to do what they do then they obviously do not enjoy it!
How silly. They are beaten into submission and punished. Would you like slave labor?
The monkeys are chained and abused. You think they enjoy that? Would YOU enjoy that? Google it and see for yourself
They are kept in tiny cages, that they are desperate to get out of, or tied to tyres. The conditions are barbaric and, as our nearest animal relatives, they deserve better. They are also ill fed, and expected to pick 1000 coconuts a day. I don’t think that’s likely to be enjoyable.
Do you really think any animal would choose a loveless life of being chained and forced around, up trees? Do you truly believe they want to work tirelessly? That doesn’t sound like something anybody would choose. Not trying to be rude, it doesn’t seem like a fun time though.
Read an advertisement a few days ago about tea leaves picked by monkeys.. can not believe this is happening.
is there any despicable thing that human beings won’t do?!
So greedy
It’s either monkeys or humans. If they use humans, the fatality rates of those humans will go up. But people don’t care about other people do they?
Thank you very much for bringing things like this to our attention. I’m glad Nutiva made the cut. I’ve bought alot of it over the years.
Do you have a list of the companies that have been shown to definitely engage in the practice of using monkeys in this way?
To date, no company has admitted to using monkeys. The only company that has given a vague answer was Hain-Celestial (which did not admit or deny the use of monkeys but referred us to their fair-trade document).
We do not know how prevalent the use of monkeys really is, but as many of our supporters have expressed an interest in knowing which companies might be deemed safe, we felt it was fair to reach out and post the names of companies that are safe to use.
I just wrote to hain-celestial again about spectrum and told them I needed a specific answer or I would not buy any of their products again.
Great, let us know if they clarify!
So how do we know anyone is doing it? Not that I don’t doubt such horrific things exist, but what information DO we have at this point?
That’s the thing, we don’t know that anyone is doing it – we know that it happens but not on what scale. Hence why we are reaching out to companies to get more information.
Hain-Celestial owns all these companies, which includes the approved Spectrum, so…: http://www.hain-celestial.com/brands.php
The best way to get around what they aren’t disclosing might be to ask which country/countries they source their coconuts from.
I contacted Costco US. And was told no monkeys were used to harvest their sources… not sure I believe them…
I would like to see full disclosure on every product that we might consume, be it outside or inside our bodies.
companies lie. sadly, even the reporting they do to the USDA is rarely confirmed…they just print it on the side of the package, end of story. I think we must advocate more for fair trade products. that means buy them instead I suppose unless there is another suggestion? moderator?
While it is possible the companies that responded lied, we tend to take their answers on good faith. All of the approved companies listed also engage in fair-trade practices for the human workers as well.
Aunt Patty’s Coconut Oil Packaged by GloryBee, Inc. Eugene, OR?
Natures Bounty? 🙂
We will reach out to them.
I’m interested in this too, I’m from Eugene as well!
Sorry for the late reply, just saw this question!
Our chief procurement officer and QA compliance supervisor have visited our Thailand coconut farms where we source coconuts. They assured us that monkeys were not employed on the farms; coconuts are harvested using machines.
Thanks again for the question and don’t hesitate to reach out if we can clarify in any other way?
Fda. Is not to be trusted they allow damaging drugs
So glad Thailand doesnt use monkeys. I get coconut water by Thailand
re coconut milk – did not see Native Forest on list – i get mine thru Swanson Health Porducts in Fargo ND
We’ve reached out to them as well.
I have emailed their parent company and they assured me only humans pick their coconuts.
Hi there! This blog post was brought to our attention by a consumer. Please know the organic coconuts used to make our products are harvested by legal human labor. No animals or children labor. The same can be said for our Let’s Do Organic® and Nature Factor® brands. Thanks! – Native Forest®
Thank you, we are working on updating the list and will have you added soon! – Claire, Social Media Manager
I wonder about Whole Foods brand 365 Unrefined and Refined Organic Coconut Oil…. Whole Foods has been known to not be completely honest at times. Thank you!
Hi there! This blog post was brought to our attention by a consumer. Please know the organic coconuts used to make our products are harvested by legal human labor. No animals or children labor. The same can be said for our Let’s Do Organic® and Nature Factor® brands. Thanks! – Native Forest®
I have been using Better Body Foods Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, bottled in the US,BUT, product of the phillipines,Sri Lanka and india is this on any list.?????
We have reached out to them.
I am interested in Sri Lanka production as well.
I emailed the company that produces the Native Forest products and they responded with the following:
Hello ___,
Thank you for contacting Edward & Sons Trading Co..
I am happy to advise that our Organic Coconut Milks are not harvested by monkeys but by humans.
Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
would you please follow up to see if anymore companies responded in say 30 days? run this again? this is serious. two of the non reply company’s I do regular business with. thank you,heather
Yes, we will continue to follow up with those companies that do not respond.
Wow! I totally had no clue. It’s amazing how sick humans can be. Always thinking of new ways to make their lives easier at the expense of innocent animals.
What about tea that is monkey picked? I see ads for that on Ebay all the time. I had no idea monkeys are used to pick coconuts. Now I’ll be sure to only purchase the brands that don’t use them
Hi Lisa,
We are unfamiliar with the issue of tea leaves and monkeys – we will look into that as well.
Monkey Picked is a term used for some high-grade oolongs. They’re not actually picked by monkeys; that’s just the name. Many teas have poetic and imaginative names. You can easily Google it to read more.
Can you add Ojio and Artisan brands to your list to contact as well. This is insane that monkeys are bred for this purpose!
Done!
This is the first time i’ve heard of such a thing happening. In my mind, I am calling them every foul name in the book. The picture of a big man with a chained monkey forced to carry a mellon as big as the man’s head. It should be the other way around. It’s absurd the lengths people will go to to avoid work and make money without lifting a finger except to be cruel and torment innocents.
Wow!! Thank you so much for alerting me to this practice. I had NO idea. I will only use the companies you listed as monkey slave labor free.
Can you check Carrington Farms and Spring Valley Coconut Oil
Carrington Farms is in the clear and we’ve reached out to Spring Valley.
Any word from Spring Valley?
The coconut oil I use fortunately doesn’t use monkeys. I would like to see a petition or something that will make it illegal to use monkeys for this purpose, as well as entertainment in the streets which happens in Thailand.
Elephants are also used, abused by humans for many atrocities. Please, let’s do something to change this.
Pamela,
Go go onto Care2’s website. it’s a great site that you can create any petition you want to. I started signing them when Cecil the Lion was brutally murdered. I think these are great and they can warrant a lot of signatures. Cecil’s petition was taken to the White House!
good luck and thank you for caring about sweet monkeys. I am so appalled at this. I don’t think I will buy ANY coconut products now. I am disgusted with (men) humans who inflict harm on sentient beings to make financial gains!
I’m proud to see a local company, So Delicious, made the approved list! I’ll tell my friend in marketing well done!
Thank you for bringing this to public attention. Wouldn’t we assume that if they do respond and don’t specifically deny it, they probably are doing it?
Would you please check Greenwise? Thank you.
I can’t seem to find a specific Greenwise company…might they be under a different name?
Greenwise is the brand of Coconut oil that Public produces.
GreenWise is Publix’s organic brand. Their coconut oil is certified organic by Ecocert ICO. I would also like to know if GreenWise coconuts are picked by humans
I just sent an inquiry to Trader Joe’s and will see if they reply…I udder everyone to send inquiries to the listed companies and ask them what their policy is in this matter.
Great, let us know. It’s great if folks reach out directly, especially if they are buyers of the product.
I worry that companies like Trader Joe’s, who use their own name on products, may switch suppliers and then we would never know.
This is simply
INTOLERABLE!
I have used the products on BOTH lists, and those who deliberately choose to ABUSE?
They’re OFF MY list!
FIRST THEY WON’T LABEL GMO’S NOW THIS? WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO???
Can you please reach out to Chaokoh, Goya, and A Taste of Thai brands? (They all manufacture canned coconut milk). Thank you!
Do you know if coconut beach uses monkeys and is there any place in tac wash where you can find coconut milk or water that doesn’t abuse animals? Thank you.
I just sent an inquiry to Coconut Bliss, my fave non-dairy ice cream. Thanks for the info! This is terrible. 🙁 Andrea Reese
Great, let us know what they say!
This is so horrifying, thank you for bringing this to eveyone’s attention, this way we can put a stop to this and pray and send love to these innocent beautiful monkeys. Thank you Animal Place for all you do for all these beautiful animals. xoxo
The best way to solve this problem is stop purchasing products with coconut anything. For the most part these countries have burned/cut down the rain forests to plant their coconut orchard/farms to provide the world with the by products. The use of animals in this process is unconscionable & outrageous.
I wish it was that easy, and unless you have some awesome ideas I will continue to purchase coconut products!! My son has a soy, nut, and dairy allergy!! He does not like the rice milk!!
How about Tropical Traditions coconut oil?
I feel sick since reading this a few minutes ago. I feel broken hearted. I never even thought of such a thing. How can we stop it?
I would also like to know about Tropical Traditions too,please.
Thank you so much for doing this research. It’s important to let us know so that we won’t buy from companies that do things like this. That photo broke my heart. The jerk holding the leash is just standing there getting fat. That little monkey deserves to live like a monkey, not a slave.
Please keep us updated. I am particularly interested in Trader Joe’s as I shop there weekly. If they are supporting this abuse, I will take my business elsewhere.
Did you check out Whole Foods Market?
Thanks.
Thank you for bringing this practice to light because I think it is not widely known at all. There are so many companies that make coconut products – this is just a handful compared to all that are out there. What about Spectrum? They make coconut oil.
Thanks for exposing this.
I won’t eat any coconuts just to be safe.
This is just so sad. Can you add La Tourangelle to the inquiry. Thanks
Hi, this is terrible 🙁 and absolutely unacceptable.
I usually use Kokovita or Urtekram (I live in Finland). I’ll try to check them by itself, but it’d be better if you send request too. Thank you for doing this.
Biofood? http://biofood.e-line.nu/DIR/Kokosfett,_deodoriserat?id=3933
info@biofood.se
Coukd you check Safeway? I didn’t see them on the list or the comments. I was going to get a couple cans to make Incian food :O I’ll get so delicious instead.
Does Safeway sell their own brand? What does the label say?
So sad some people are so evil this is so disgusting
Wow! This is terrible. Could you find out about Tropical Traditions coconut oil?
Would you please add Spiral Foods (from Sri Lanka) to your list. I use a lot of coconut oil but I do not want to fund a company that isn’t doing the right thing.
Please ask mercola.com. Don’t know where there wonderful coconut oil comes from. Thanks.
Hello! thank you for bringing things like that into publicity!! could you add alpro and biona to your list for companies to ask? thank you!!!:)
Great to know! How lame that the puggy human cannot do any of the work. Poor monkey! I have been purchasing the hain celestial coconut milk and wrote them letting them know that I will stop buying their products until they make a public commitment to not use and abuse any animal as part of their practice.
I am a vegetarian mostly for ethical reasons and want to only support companies who do not harm animals and humans particularly when it is this type of product.
Good thing for consumers that there are many choices out there!
do you know if the whole foods brand of coconut oil uses monkeys? what is wrong with people that they would do this? thanks for making us aware of this. i love you guys!
We do not, we can add to list, though.
All those who have responded are American companies. I live in UK, North West. Where can I buy “monkey-free” coconut products from please?
We are a US organization and are unfamiliar with UK companies – if you have a name of a specific brand, we could look into it.
Please could you add Biona and Koko (milk alternative) to the companies you’re approaching. I’m also from UK and use these products regularly. Also do you know where coconut oil is used as ingredients within a product (eg.Violife cheeses)if this practice is also in use. I will also contact these individual companies myself to see what response I get. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. 🙁
I’m in the UK, the brand I have at the moment is ‘Lucy Bee’; I’ve checked their website and they state that monkeys aren’t used (and neither are children).
https://www.lucybee.co/coconut-oil/faqs/
There is also a ‘how to buy’ page on the site listing retailers, seems to be quite widely available.
(I have no connection to this company, am posting for info)
This is a matter which has to look into detail. All Product should never be tested on animals!
Even This website retailing coconut oil products and ebooks
My favorite brand of coconut water is Harvest Bay and I don’t see it here. If you have a chance, I’d love to know about the ethics of their pracitces. I checked their site and there wasn’t any information there. Thank you for this!! _/|\_
Disgusting human beings. Who the hell gave them the right to ill treat those animals. Why is nothing done by them in power to stop it. Stop buying coconuts ! Stop take a moment to think of the SUFFERING those animals are exposed to for those of you who purchase Coconuts – Really!
Hi, Can you add “Nature’s Charm” to your list? They make a coconut condensed milk (vegan) for baking. Thanks
What about companies that use coconut oil, like Daiya cheese?
Hi very upset about the treatment of these poor monkeys..how dare they do this..can you check Planet foods manafactured by Healthy Warrior In Australia, sold in coles stores here. I buy the coconut oil and coconut flour but this brand is not on your list.. Thank you for this research.
I know you mentioned coconut oil products but is coconut palm sugar of the same concern? If so, could you please check “Big Tree Farms”? I will boycott them if they are using these heinous methods! Thank you for all you hard work!
Thank you for exposing & sharing this information. Can you please add LouAna brand & Costco’ s Kirkland to your inquiry? Lord knows they sell hundreds of their bottles. Thank you again.
Hello, I use Omega Nutritioin coconut oil. I emailed them specifically to ask if they used monkey’s to pick their coconuts and if not who did pick them and this is the answer I recieved.
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for your inquiry about Omega Nutrition Coconut Oil. This product is a product of the Philippines.
Omega Nutrition Coconut Oil is certified organic by USDA, and this type of practice will not pass organic certification of the product as the procedures followed prior to allowing certification include the soil, the product and the farmers and its facilities. Such use of animals in handling coconut products will certainly fail approval for organic certification. Also, there is no possibility that this type of animals can be certified.
Thank you.
My question is, are they blowing smoke up my butt. I dont really see them say, no we never use monkey’s but rather it could never pass the USDA and organic certfication. Is that absolutely true? Or are they dancing around the issue? What you guys think?
I’ve just emailed them this morning to ask them the same question. I’ll post here if I get a different reply.
What they’re saying about organic certification is complete rubbish though. There’s nothing in the USDA’s criteria about not using animals. (What we really need is a veganic certifying board, but, alas, I don’t think they’d have much business.)
Hi Stephanie,
I also contacted Omega to inquire about this issue. The answer I got was:
“Omega Nutrition Coconut Oil is certified organic meaning the soil where it is harvested, the people harvesting and the equipment used in the process must pass organic certification. There is no way such animals can be certified.”
I also find it a strange way of answering the question, it’s quite indirect. I’ve asked for a clarification and will update. I really really want to believe this brand is OK as I use it in bulk for products I make. I will post with any updates.
Hi! Thank you so much for bringing attention to this! Do you think you could add Alaffia as well as their brand Everyday Coconut to this list? Thanks! (:
Would you be able to contact Blue Diamond, since their Almond Breeze brand makes an almond-coconut milk blend? This issue really upsets me greatly!
I received this response from the makers of Coconut Bliss non-dairy ice cream:
Hi,
Thanks for reaching out. I want to assure you that the coconuts for our coconut milk are not harvested by trained primates. Members of the Coconut Bliss team have been to our suppliers’ coconut farms and processing facilities on two separate occasions. During both visits they saw the human workers harvesting the coconuts, and they also saw that the workers were treated well. We have very close relationships with our suppliers, not only to insure the highest quality ingredients, but also to be sure workers are treated fairly and all are human.
Please let me know if you have any other questions about our products or ingredients.
Blissful Regards,
Kate
Kate Campbell
Quality Assurance Manager
Director of Sustainability
Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss
Bliss Unlimited, LLC
PO Box 288
Eugene, OR 97440
What about Kelapo?
Alia,
No, we definitely do not use any animal or monkeys in the collection/harvest of our coconuts.
We are proudly Fair Trade certified, which means that we pay premium wages to human workers in Sri Lanka who harvest our coconuts. We are certified Fair Trade by the IMO and you can find this certification on our “Our Values” section that I am including in the e-mail. https://kelapo.com/fair-trade-coconut-oil/
We greatly appreciate your business and hope that this helps.
Can you please check “Coconut Oil Supreme” sold online only, at http://www.CoconutOil-online.com ? Thank you!
What about Tropical Traditions?
What about Santa Maria, Thailand and
Bliss Coconut table spread, Aduki?
Hi Axa,
We are waiting on a response for Santa Maria. Is Aduki a brand? We cant find a company with that name. If you have a manufacturer, we can look those up.
Has there been a petition about the way these monkeys are treated
On Care2Action petition sight, they have a petition.
I used to get maui foods coconut water and didnt see it on the list, now hoping they didnt abuse monkeys for their products :/ could you add them?
Is fair trade not always a product of human work ?
I don’t see http://www.fairtrade.nl/ in your list
99% from Thai coconuts are collected by monkeys. The product from coconuts, the oil, you find in ALL brands soap, shampoo and toothpaste.
Nearly impossible to avoid this product
What evidence do you have that 99% of coconuts in Thailand are collected by monkeys?
Visit all coconut plantations between Chumphon and Hatyai, and on Koh Samui, and you will know. As far as my information goes is Thailand nr. 3 exporter from coconuts in the world. Not using monkeys means that people have to collect the coconuts.For people it is a very dangerous job. A lot of fatalities during coconut collection. And I am sure there are bad monkey owners/handlers. But all I have seen do not punish their monkey, and treat the monkey better then most Thai treat their dogs.
From the NPR article:
“”It would be difficult to find a coconut product made in Thailand that wasn’t picked by a monkey,” Arjen Schroevers tells The Salt by email. Monkeys pick 99 percent of the Thai coconuts sold for their oil and flesh, he says.”
“Schroevers runs the Monkey Training School in Surat Thani, Thailand, a Buddhist-inspired school founded 50 years ago to teach monkeys how to pick coconuts without the use of force or violence.”
I contacted Ayam (a brand sold here in Australia), and received this response:
Hi Laird,
Thank you for your query regarding our coconut harvesting process.
I can confirm that our coconuts are sourced from plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia.
I can confirm that we do not use monkeys or machinery when harvesting our coconuts.
Our coconuts are removed by hand using skilled locals (manually). The workers will usually use a sharp blade with a long bamboo shaft when removing the coconuts from the tree.
I hope this message has helped clarify any concerns, should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask.
Kind regards,
AYAM™ Customer Care
A.Clouet (Australia) Pty. Ltd
11 Melissa Place
Kings Park, NSW, 2148
Australia
Phone: +61 2 8814 8086
Fax: +61 2 9678 9508
E-mail: consumer@ayam.net.au
Website: http://www.ayam.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AYAMAustralia
SAVE A TREE. PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU PRINT THIS E-MAIL.
This confuses me. My dog fetches my newspaper for me from the driveway every morning. Does that mean I am abusing her? Will somebody be putting me on a list someday?
James,
How is that at all similar? Did you abduct someone else’s dog, chain them 24/7, and require they engage in unnatural, strenuous labor collecting 1,000 newspapers a day? Your analogy is hardly similar.
What about all those poor bees that toil away to collect nectar for their hives, only to have it stolen?
Horses and dogs do plenty of work for us, so what’s wrong with that?
For that matter, how would YOU like to be tied to a MONKEY all day?! What about that guy in the picture?
For all of the outrage here, you’d all be better off contacting the companies yourselves, instead of telling someone else to do it for you.
Animal Place is a vegan organization and does not endorse using other animals for honey, riding, performing dangerous jobs, etc.
We do agree that if folks are that concerned, they should feel empowered to contact their favorite company themselves. It’s always good to do that, as they are actual consumers of the products in question.
Great response Animal Place lol
Do you keep a heavy metal collar around your dog’s neck 24/7? Do you hit your dog when she doesn’t do as she’s told? Did you shoot your dog’s mother in the head so that you could steal your dog at only a few weeks old in order to train her to fetch said paper? If you answered yes to these questions then yes you are abusing her and yes your name should go on a list.
Thank you for the valuable information. When will we ever stop exploiting animals for our gain?! It’s so disheartening. Please continue to update your list as the information becomes available to you as I am loathe to support anyone who takes advantage of other people or animals. Regards
vita coco?
Hi, Thank you for this information. I just reached out to Vita Coco. My cynical side is doubtful that i will receive an honest response…
Thank you Animal Place for your work.
Wow! I had no idea! We use SO MANY coconut products in our home. I would quickly and willingly boycott any products who use monkeys in this manner. Very inhumane.
I haven’t reviewed all 113 comments, but in looking through the products we have at home, I am curious about KIRKLAND SIGNATURE ORGANIC OIL (Costco), COCO LIBRE PURE ORGANIC COCONUT WATER manufactured by Maverick Brands, LLC in Palo Alto and EARTH BALANCE ORGANIC COCONUT SPREAD. Any further info on any of these would be terrific! I’m also waiting on Trader’s Joes as we have purchased their Coconut Oil Spray.
Thank you for investigating this! I’d love to see Humane Society International jump in on this too! They are amazing in these types of situations. Thank you!
Here was the response that I received from Vita Cocoa:
Thank you for contacting Vita Coco!
Vita Coco subscribes to a high-level of ethical practices at every stage of our production, from farming to manufacturing. Our farming partners do not use monkeys to harvest coconuts. This is just one of our standards and practices, and part of our overall Corporate Social Responsibility program, “Cocommunity.”
Please visit our website and click onto “About Us,” and then click “Giving Back,” to learn more. This section details our ethical practices and our commitment to the communities in which we do business, globally.
Sincerely,
Jennipher Samms
Vita Coco Product Specialist
http://www.vitacoco.com
Reference #000030143A
Can you add jax coco coconut water to the list?
Hi – RodaleWellness.com reached out to Hain-Celestial and they affirmed that they do not use monkeys in their harvesting.
Have you checked Kirkland Signature Brand… Organic Coconut Oil…In all Costco Warehouses? Thanks so much
I contacted Trader Joes regarding their coconut milk. This is their response:
“Thank you taking the time to reach out to us. Our suppliers do not use animal labor (monkeys, or other species) to harvest coconuts. We hope this information is helpful.”
All the best,
Trader Joe’s
Customer Relations Department
Can you please find out if Amy & Brian Coconut Juice abuses monkeys? I asked them in a pm on their FB page and they blocked me. I assume that means yes, but I’d like a definitive answer. I won’t buy their product again if they do use monkeys to harvest.
Thanks!
Hi
Do yiu know if organic road made by pacific organics uses monekey labour? Or coyo yogurts use it as well? I didnt see either of thise names on either list?
Thank you
Barleans – http://www.barleans.com/
you can add them to your list to ask
Hi. I have Cocobella coconut water in my fridge right now. It’s an Australian company using coconut water from Thailand. They are located in Scorseby, Victoria. I can’t see them on your list. I intend to send them an email as soon as I send this to you. Thanks. Liz…
Hi all. A lot of passion here. Just a question, is everyone here a vegetarian? How about vegan? It’s confusing to me why people who will kill and eat animals are so concerned about animals making a living assisting harvesting fruit. Can anyone clarify this for me?
Thanks!
Daniel
The one i use isnt listed could you check its called pink sun organics certified organic extra virgin coconut oil
We import and sell coconut oil in Japan. Our supplier do not use monkeys or human children to harvest coconuts, neither. I visited the supplier and confirmed it. I would like you to approve our product as well.
Thanks, we are happy to!
Hi there,
I have been buying Kulaway Coconuts (from Thailand) through my organic supplier for quite some time. After I found out about this I contacted Kulaway to ask them how their coconuts were harvested. They told me that monkeys were not used. But when I asked them to provide locations so I could put the word out and have their claims substantiated their representative was quite snarky and told me again monkeys weren’t used but DID NOT provide any locations…
We all know how companies lie to the consumer. Do you know of this company and if their claims are true? I haven’t seen them on your approval list… How do we know to believe any company who says they DON’T use monkeys?
Kind regards,
Nicola
I buy coconut oil from Aldi. Any idea what their status is on this issue?
I don’t know about Aldi, Amanda but Lidl’s state that their coconut products don’t contain coconuts picked by monkeys.
This is a list of UK companies who also don’t:
http://www.eatplantsnotanimals.com/animal-related-issues/uk-companies-confirmed-to-not-use-coconuts-picked-by-monkeys/
Sonoma Harvest brand?
Did you contact anyone who makes cans of coconut milk? I can’t see any of the brands we have in Canada on the list.
Thanks for sharing this information!
Could you please reach out to the following Australian businesses as well?
Pureharvest
loving earth
ELAEIS ORGANIC
Thank you 🙂
I recently contacted Edwards & Sons who make the Let’s Do….Organic range of coconut products. They assure me that their coconuts are not picked by coconuts and are going to get back to me with details of the exact picking practices.
This is what they said “I understand your frustration when it comes to unethical harvesting practices. I can assure you that monkeys are not used to harvest the coconuts used for our products.
We do work with multiple facilities and with that comes different practices. Is there any coconut product in particular you are looking into? This will allow us to provide you with the most thorough and prompt response.”
I have replied with the products I use so I will update you when I get a further reply.
I just got this comment back from a company called Raw C (based in Australia):
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the email.
All our coconuts are harvested by people not by Monkeys. We are not a backyard operator & only use HACCP certified suppliers who pay their workers a fair wage. We are sorry if you think using a monkey as a mascot is poor taste but it was actually our followers/fans that choose the mascot.
We visit our suppliers on a regular basis in Thailand & have never seen the use of monkeys.
Anything else please let me know.
Scott Mendelsohn | Head Coconut | Natural Raw C
W. http://www.rawc.com.au
Wouldn’t it be better to list which companies DO use monkeys to pick coconuts rather than create all this uncertainty and suspicion?
We have not found any that have admitted to using them. Our belief is that this is likely a localized issue or a whole coconut issue, and it’s harder for us to try and find source locations for every single coconut company in the world. We encourage people to reach out to companies not on this list (if they use their products) and find out more info if desired.
Hi, could you please add Amaizin to your list ? Thank you for the great work you do! Kind regards, Annemarie
What about Shea Moisture?
Hi,
I saw this in a post on Facebook yesterday, I had just bought some coconut water from a UK company ‘Innocent’. I wrote to them straightaway, the reply below came through an hour later and looks like another ‘safe’ supplier to add to your list:
Response By Email (Rio at innocent) (11/02/2016 17:32)
Hello there Kate,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write to us.
We want to reassure you that we have a team here at innocent who are dedicated to visiting our fruit suppliers across the world to ensure all our ingredients are sourced responsibly.
We’ve seen no evidence that anyone other than human beings are harvesting the coconuts for our drinks, and we would be extremely concerned if we were to find out about the inhumane treatment of animals within our supply chain. We are 100% committed to sourcing sustainably – protecting people, animals and the environment. We always have been, and we always will be.
If you have a few minutes, you can read more about our approach to doing business responsibly here: http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/being-sustainable
We hope that helps.
All the best,
Rio
I messaged Thai Kitchen on Facebook and got a response indicating they only use coconuts harvested by humans. I also asked about BPA in the lining of their cans. The news on that front is not so great. Please add to this message stream to thank Thai Kitchen and their parent company McCormick for socially responsible practices and to ask them to take the BPA out of the cans:
https://www.facebook.com/EnjoyThaiKitchen/posts/10154110912097259?comment_id=10154112616877259
Thanks so much for this, it’s the easiest brand to find for me, happy there not using slave monkeys!!
Hi. I contacted Biolife Cheese (an amazing vegan cheese in Australia) asking about the source of their product. This is their response although I do wonder whether the suppliers just say what they want the buyers to hear (i.e the stockist of the oils)
“As you will see on our website, we stand by our products and love making great food for our customers and making a difference in communities across the country and the world. This means embedding sustainable practice into every part of what we do. We’re always finding better ways to create long-term social, environmental and economic value in the communities in which we work and live.
Having checked with our suppliers, we can confirm to best of our knowledge that no monkeys were used to pick the coconut that our coconut ingredients are derived from. Our coconut oil is sourced from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our products as much as we do.
Kind regards
MyLife
http://www.mylifebio.net.au
(+61) 1300 006 926″
I asked as well and recived the exact same email, I was just about to post it here too ? Haha
Hi
I e-mailed KTC edibles and asked if monkeys picked their coconut and got this answer. So should be added to the list of companies that don’t use monkey slaves.
“Dear Emil,
Thank you for contacting KTC for one of our products. I can understand your concern about animal abuse although we can confirm that the coconut picking is by humans. I hope this answers any queries that you may have and if you have any more questions please let me know.
Kind regards,
Dr. Ioanna Iliopoulou
Technical”
Could you also add Koko to your list to check out?
I will email them myself as well.
This is a very useful list, thankyou!
Also MyLife brand that produces Bio Cheese uses coconut oil.
Do you know if Melissa’s Sweet Young Coconuts from Thailand would have used monkeys? I do not see it on the list.
http://www.melissas.com/Sweet-Young-Coconut-p/220.htm
Thank you for sharing all the info for the other brands!
Hi Maria: Unfortunately we are unable to reach out to other companies. We strongly encourage you to contact Melissa’s and inquire – let us know and we’ll do our best to update the list!
This is an important issue and some kind of certification is needed. I think your reaching out to these companies and reporting on their responses is a great start, but how can we be sure what they say is true. There is a strong incentive for these companies to mis-state the facts on this. And do they all pick their own coconuts or do they obtain them from 3rd party growers?
I contacted Blue Marble Brands, which owns Harvest Bay. Apparently, they have recently become aware of the issue of exploitation of monkeys. The woman with whom I spoke assured me that they have their own plantation and that they use only human fieldworkers. I provided her with the animal place web page, pointed out that Harvest Bay had not responded and asked that the company provide an official statement. I asked for a follow up response after the official statement was released.
DIVISION OF: Blue Marble Brands
Address: 313 Iron Horse Way
Providence, RI, 02908 USA
Contact: Shannon Kashmann, Marketing Manager
Phone: (888) 534-0246
Fax: (732) 650-9969
e-mail: contact@harvest-bay.com
This is absolutely disgusting!
I’ve been googling Green Choice Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and they don’t even have a website, as far as I can see? I’m very concerned about participating to this cruelty, so PLEASE, if you can expand your list of good companies/bad companies, I would really appreciate it!
Thank you!
I contacted Daiya about the sourcing of their coconuts and was pleased to receive a prompt response (two actually), but unfortunately even the second follow-up response was pretty vague. I was told:
“There are a number of co-ops and a roundtable for coconut farmers:
NATCCO Network The National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) is the largest cooperative federation in the Philippines.
We have been working very closely with our suppliers to maintain the highest quality ingredients and also to ensure that our vendor partners embrace fair and sustainable practices established by existing co-ops and roundtable groups, when sourcing our ingredients.”
The Daiya rep added:
“I did a little personal reading and was amazed to read that in 2014 over 51 Million metric tonnes of coconuts were harvested.”
Not completely sure what to make of all that – I think the PR guy may not really know all the details of the company’s coconut sourcing and is trying to straddle the line between providing a positive spin while also trying to do the right thing.
I reached out to Garden of Life and they emailed to say monkeys are NOT used to harvest their coconut oil. Here’s their email:
“Hi Judy. What I found out is that our coconuts are harvested by humans. They are not “fair-trade”, however, we are a B-Corp certified corporation. https://www.gardenoflife.com/content/about/why-gol/certified-b-corp/ .”
I just got an email from mountain high organics inc (they produce tresomega coconut oil; theyre typically sold in sams club and other places) after i emailed regarding their process on gathering their coconut oil. I recieved a wonderful email back that they do NOT use animals in gathering their coconuts, nor do they use an animal products or by products in any other part of their process or manufacturing.
If the blog owner would like a copy of my email for proof, id be happy to forward it.
Ive been contacting a few companies here in Australia and not much luck with replies from eg H2coco and a few others. Luckily we do have Vita Coco and Dr Bronners here. Id like all these companies to assure their consumers by organising cruelty-free labelling in response to this issue. This needs to be clear on their packaging, their websites and across their social media pages. I would sooner not buy or consume ANY coconut product, until companies are forced to prove a certified cruelty-free status. Then, at the very least, we can all boycott any companies who do practise this cruelty.
I contacted the company that sells Native Forest coocnut milk. Here it is:
Hello Jennie,
Thank you for contacting Edward & Sons Trading Co.
We here at Edward & Sons understand your concern and appreciate your request for information. Please be assured that all of our coconut products are harvested under organic harvesting practices; no animals are used to pick the coconuts. There is a portion of our website dedicated to our mission. The following link will direct you:
http://www.edwardandsons.com/mission.itml
Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Thank you!
Vanessa Lopez
Customer Service
Edward & Sons Trading Co.
P: (805) 684-8500 Ext. 102
F: (805) 684-8220
I contacted daiya and they replied back that the coconut ingredients in their products aren’t harvested by monkeys
Amy’s kitchen: “Our coconut is sourced from Thailand. We’re not aware of any involvement by monkeys. The coconuts are harvested by humans, who either climb the tree and grab the fruit by hand or cut the fruit using a long pole with a knife attached at the end.”
I contacted “Slave Monkey Coconuts” and they have assured me that monkeys are NOT used to pick their coconuts. Please add them to your list.
Thank you for coming up w/this list, it helps a lot in making a decision before purchasing. I recently heard about this and decided to look more into it. There’s a very popular brand in Amazon called VivaLabs, hopefully we can see an updated list which would include this brand as well. I just posted a question in regards to this on their Amazon product page, let’s see what they say.
Can you post please when this list was updated? There are many on the no reply list that i am interested in knowing about.
Poor little creatures, how barbaric.
Regarding Harvest Bay, I contacted
Laura Whaley
Consumer Response Specialist
313 Iron Horse Way
Providence, RI 02908
Lwhaley@bluemarblebrands.com
http://www.bluemarblebrands.com
“We have confirmation from our supplier that monkeys are not used with any of our products. Please see the image below from our supplier:”
and the image shows a photocopy of a letter dated April 18, 2016 from the supplier who indicated that monkeys are not used to harvest coconuts.
Fruit Daddy, the young American traveler to Thailand who blew the whistle, recently made a follow up video, in which he says that the green coconuts are not harvested by monkeys. Harvest Bay uses green coconuts in its water.
https://youtu.be/lzievpTR0WI
Hi – just letting you know that Cocobella answers this when I wrote to them:
Fwd: Cocobella website form submission
We confirm that no animals are used in producing our products. Our coconuts are hand harvested by adult humans.
We hold the highest level of internationally recognized food quality and safety certifications and also FSSC2200 certified which is an internationally recognized program that is fully recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative. This involves routine third-party audits to ensure the working environment is safe and legitimate.
I hope that helps.
Regards, Luke
Cocobella
Hi There, came across this article when a client asked if any of our farmers used monkeys to pick the coconuts. For the record, I wanted to confirm that NO monkeys are used to harvest our coconuts in the product of Kokonati products.
Thanks. Please include in your list of Approved brands.
We do not use Child labor and also help run welfare societies to cater to the needs of our village communities.
Do you know how the coconuts for Whole Foods brand “365 Organic Coconut Milk” are harvested? The can says “product of Thailand” so this brand is in question, but I don’t see it on the list –
I have contacted Spiral foods (Australia) and they have confirmed that no monkeys are used anywhere in their production lines.
Hi,
I love to drink coconut water.It is informative blog.I need this information from your site.
Thanks for sharing this..
Can someone please contact JT’s Coconut Essence? They don’t seem to be on any list?
I just contacted Viva Labs, whose coconut sugar I use regularly. As soon as I hear back, I’ll post their response.
Thank you for making this list!
Please add NadaMoo to the approved list, thanks! A copy of their email response is here:
Hi there Houston!
Thanks for reaching out.
I can confirm that we are eligible for the list.
Our coconuts are not picked by monkeys.
Our CEO and team have visited the farm in Thailand where our coconut milk is made and you can even see a video about it on our Facebook page 🙂
Thanks again!
Wishing you all the best,
Taylor Beckham
NadaMoo
I have Earth’s Choice coconut cream and don’t see them on your list. Could you add them please?
What about Suraj? That company is not listed.
We’ll look into this soon, Lori. Please be patient – sometimes it takes a while before a company responds. You can try e-mailing them yourself, too; you might get a faster response!
I buy Geisha brand coconut milk and did not see it on the list, so I contacted the Geisha company and they told me they do not use monkey labor for their coconut products.
Thank you so much for contacting them, Will! We will update our list!
Please check if Sprouts can be added to this list.
We’ll look into this and update our site, but you can always e-mail these companies, too! Please be patient – sometimes it takes a bit for us to hear back from a company.
What about kroger or kirkland (costco) brand? I live in a pretty remote area with no access to a whole foods or trader joes, etc. I use coconut oil religiously so I’m very concerned about making the right choice!
We’ll look into this and update our site, but you can always e-mail these companies, too!
Hi..I didn’t see the brand I use
Its barleans..
We’ll look into this and update our site, but you can always e-mail these companies, too!
Sweet Earth is confirmed that they should be on the approved list. Their email:
Colby Nordyke (Sweet Earth Natural Foods)
Oct 31, 12:40 PM PDT
Hello Houston,
I am happy to say that our supplier has confirmed that they do not use primates for harvesting coconuts. They even went as far to send the attached photos of the farmers harvesting them during a recent visit to the Philippines. I hope I have been helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Best,
Colby Nordyke
Hello, I’ve contacted real-thai, if they use monkeys to pick the coconuts, or not. I’ve got a response. They responded: “Dear Evelina,
Thank you for your e-mail.
Our manufacturer has the standard certificate like; ISO, HACCP, BRC, GMP and etc.
We use human resources to run all of the production process, to control the quality.
Hope you understand for our explanation.
Have a nice day!”
I forgot to ask them about fair-trade. Will you add the brand?
Can you add “Jarrow Formulas” to your list ?
I want to know if “ZICO” brand also responded or not.
This is really sad and cruelty on animals. There should be more tech robot for these actions!
That’s awful! What about Ecofarms Absolute Organic Coconut oil?
Frankly, this is ridiculous. A company’s self-reporting that they do not use monkey labor should not make it automatically “approved.” (What company would admit to this? I also imagine many companies contract many different farmers for their supply and may not even know).
This is something that an independent party such as an auditor or a fair trade organization should provide certification for.
I’d like to learn more. I wish there was more detailed reporting on the prevalence of monkey labor in the coconut supply chain. Another question I have is this: Fair trade protects human labor, but does it currently take into account animal cruelty?
Hi,
Do you have a script you use to query companies. I am happy to query some myself and I will forward you their responses. I think it’s actually helpful to have more than one person contacting companies as it demonstrates consumer concern.
Thanks for all the work you have done so far.
Karla
Hi, Karla. That would actually be wonderful! We don’t necessarily have a script, we just write short e-mails using the contact information listed on companies’ sites or products. We say that we’ve been made aware that some companies source coconuts from places that use monkey and other animal labor and ask whether their coconuts are picked by monkeys or humans.
I’m just weaning myself off dairy. I’ve been using mainly almond milk but the cheese I buy is My life Bio cheese is made with coconut oil. Also, I sometimes buy Sanitarium So Good Coconut milk….Are these OK. Sorry if I’ve missed the companies in the list. I’ve just liked your Facebook page so my find my answers with a better. I just can’t believe this…Trying to be ethical by not buying cows milk, only to read this. Very disheartening.
Hey guys, can you check Shan’Shi? I wrote them an e-mail and this is what I got back but I don’t know if it can be trusted?
“Thank you for your interest in our Shan’shi brand. We can assure you that there will be no monkeys used for the coconut harvest, instead there are used bamboo sticks to pluck out coconuts.
If you have further questions do not hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
Michaela Wernicke”
Update:
“We have the information that there are no monkeys used from our supplier. Unfortunately there does not exist a certicate for this. What kind of certificate would you need?
Regards,
Michaela”
Hi Animal Place,
Can you please check Terra Madre (Australia) that have their own coconut milks and creams.
Thank you
Last year I contacted a company called Global Organics,who source their coconut milk and cream from the Philippines and assured me that no monkeys are used .They are also Australian certified organic,use non GMO ingredients.
Just wondered if anyone else wonders if some companies actually know. I had read from an Australian group, I’m in the UK, that when asking about palm only about five could actually trace back to the source because they buy through other companies not direct.
We have found that many companies who know that their product is ethically sourced know because they were aware of the abuses taking place and specifically chose source companies who do not participate in animal abuse.
This was so disappointing to find out. We try so hard to go as cruelty-free as possible and then discover something like this. Thank you for providing this information; I was on a search to find out if coconut oil harvesting has caused environmental concerns as palm oil most clearly has. Poor monkeys – the most human-like of all creatures, enslaved again. I have been using NOW Foods coconut oil – no idea about this with them?
Planet Food in Australia have stated on their website that “No. Absolutely no animal labour is involved in any of our coconut plantations.”
I have emailed other companies and will update this site with the results.
Blue Dinosaur & Loving Earth (Both Australian companies) have confirmed that animals are not used in the harvesting of Coconuts.
Redwin in Australia (www.pharmacare.com.au) dont use Monkeys or any other Animals
Emma & Toms (Australian company) do not use animal labour.
What about young coconuts from Thailand, we get them at the Asian market, I could get you the two brands.
Let us know!
I inquired with Spectrum about the country of origin of their coconut oil. They came back with some generic response about how the company is committed to source its products ethically; however, they did NOT answer my question, which was clear and specific (country origin), even when I followed up with them. This lack of transparency makes me doubt their coconut oil is sourced without the use of monkeys.
Thank you for bringing this up to our attention. Although, I seriously doubt that just asking a company is trustable.
Thank you so much for doing this research and sharing it with us! I’m wondering if you know anything about “Let’s Do Organic” distributed by Edward & Sons, from the Philippines? Thank you!
The problem is a lot of companies are saying they don’t use primate labor but they’re getting their coconuts from countries that do use it. Sounds very suspicious to me. I think it’s safer to not get coconut products from Asia.
[…] this is the attitude that led Animal Place to contact dozens of coconut companies to quiz them on how they treated their […]
I heard back from Field Roast/Chao.
“Thanks for taking the time to contact us and great question! I totally understand your concerns and would like to assure you that no animals are working or harmed in the production of Field Roast or Chao. Our products are completely vegan and cruelty-free. Our coconut oil is supplied by producers committed against animal cruelty. Hope that helps!”
Hello, thank you very much for writing about this issue. I use “Let’s Do… Organic” shredded coconut by Edward and Sons and emailed the company for more info, glad to see they do not enslave macaques:
“Hello Madeleine,
Thank you for taking the time to write us here at Edward & Sons Trading Co..
I am happy to advise that monkeys are not used to harvest the organic coconuts our products are made with. The coconuts are harvested by humans who are rightfully protected by fair trade laws.
Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Thank you!
Vanessa Lopez
Customer Service
Edward & Sons Trading Co.
P: (805) 684-8500 Ext. 102
F: (805) 684-8220”
Hi, I contacted Thirsty Budday regarding their harvest practice and here is their response:
Hi Trina,
Thank you for reaching out with your question. Though we are not certified Cruelty-Free, we can assure you that not a single coconut picked for our products are harvested by monkeys.
Every coconut that goes toward a can of Thirsty Buddha coconut water or bag of Hungry Buddha coconut chips is picked by local farmers in either Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines. In fact, we are in the midst of securing our ‘Fair For Life’ certification, which indicates that our farmers are paid fair wages and working in sustainable and safe conditions.
I hope this helped to put your mind at ease! Please let us know if you have any follow-up questions about our production processes.
Have a great day,
ALESSIA FAUSTINI
Customer Service
TempleLifestyle-Logo
Montréal, QC H2N 2E3
http://www.templelifestyle.com
Can you add Thirsty Buddha to your monkey-free safe list?
Thanks so much,
Trina
Can you check on Kelapo & Barlean’s coconut oils? We use those brands & will definitely switch if they’re using monkeys!
Thanks!!!
There are no doubt many coconuts Blogs, also I have been following this blog from animalplace & it is really very nice to learn more about monkey pick your coconuts here.
I use palmers and inecto coconut lotion I can’t see either listed???? Are these products picked by monkeys I really hope not how can I find out????
Hi Elaine, I wondered the same, so I contacted them on Facebook and they confirmed:
“We have received the following confirmation from our head office : Our Coconut Oil supplier has confirmed that monkeys have never been used in their harvesting. The farms use the traditional “kawit” or scythe in the harvesting of coconuts. This process is performed by human adults”
Hope this helps! By the way, I’m in Australia, it might be different for other countries.
The United Nations Environment Programme identifies palm oil plantations as the leading cause of rainforest destruction in Malaysia and Indonesia. Deforestation for the establishment of palm oil plantations is responsible for habitat loss of the Asian elephant, tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and the orangutan.The shelf-stable oil they are turning to instead, often to create vegan butters and vegan cheeses, is coconut oil.
Hi. There’s talk that Daiya, which is on your approved list, is now testing on animals (allegedly they were bought by a pharma company that doesn’t give a shit about animals or veganism). I know that’s off the subject, and I’m waiting for confirmation from Daiya one way or the other. Just thought you should be aware. Thank you so much for your work for animals.
Hi guys, wonderful article about a heart-breaking subject, thank you.
This is such an important matter that needs our attention.
As an animal lover in the first place and a coconut lover and blogger in the second place, I’d like to see how we can join forces to make some positive changes.
I will link to this article from different blog posts on my website and would like to see if we can do more.
How accurate is this list as of today?
Have any of the brands that haven’t responded yet reply to you by now and are there any changes?
Thank you for all you do!
Warm regards,
Erika
Thank you for your support Erika! We will soon be updating this list!
There is visibly a bundle to realize about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also. gdfdkdebeafk
Thank you for the list of brands. Its a good starting point for more inquiries. Please make sure to read between the lines if a company says they don’t use monkeys or children!
I asked Trader Joe’s: Do you take the vendor’s word that they are ethically sourced or does TJ require proof or visit the farms?
Here is Trader Joe’s response. Note they DO NOT ACTUALLY SAY THAT THE FARMS DON’T USE MONKEYS OR CHILDREN!
Thank you for reaching out with your product inquiries. We can assure you that we work very closely with our reputable (and often smaller scale suppliers); and only source ethically and humanely sourced products.
At Trader Joe’s, we have been dealing with standards and practices in many different countries for over 49 years, and our buyers are diligent about making sure our suppliers and the products they provide meet, and most often exceed standards set by the USDA. In addition, our Quality Assurance Team and our buyers audit our vendors facilities, practices and our products (and also have third-party audits conducted) to ensure our very strict standards . However, as it is also a focus that we are also always looking to provide our high quality products at what we also consider really great everyday values (and without artificially high mark ups, and profit margins). Therefore, we also do not tend to opt for specific third-party certifications (such as via The Certified Humane organization) for our private-label products.
However, again, we want to reassure you that there is nothing more important to us than the quality, safety and integrity of our products, and providing products that we can stand behind with our label.
They have NOT responded to my follow up email which is below…
Thank you for your response, however, I am not concerned about the quality of your products or that it meets with the USDA standards. I just want to know specifically if you can guarantee that your “very strict standards” mean that the coconut milk sold by TJs is not picked by monkeys or children?
Thank you,
TRADER JOE’S UPDATE — PLEASE READ!
I contacted Trader Joe’s and asked if they take the vendor’s word that their coconuts are ethically sourced or whether TJ requires proof or visits the farms?
Here is Trader Joe’s response. Note the mumbo jumbo double-talk. THEY WRITE ABOUT USDA STANDARDS WHICH ARE NOT RELEVANT TO THE QUESTION. TJ WILL NOT ACTUALLY CONFIRM THAT THE FARMS DON’T USE MONKEYS OR CHILDREN. REMEMBER THAT “HUMANE” MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
ALSO NOTE THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED WITH A SIMPLE YES/NO TO MY FOLLOW UP EMAIL WHICH IS PASTED BELOW.
Thank you for reaching out with your product inquiries. We can assure you that we work very closely with our reputable (and often smaller scale suppliers); and only source ethically and humanely sourced products.
At Trader Joe’s, we have been dealing with standards and practices in many different countries for over 49 years, and our buyers are diligent about making sure our suppliers and the products they provide meet, and most often exceed standards set by the USDA. In addition, our Quality Assurance Team and our buyers audit our vendors facilities, practices and our products (and also have third-party audits conducted) to ensure our very strict standards . However, as it is also a focus that we are also always looking to provide our high quality products at what we also consider really great everyday values (and without artificially high mark ups, and profit margins). Therefore, we also do not tend to opt for specific third-party certifications (such as via The Certified Humane organization) for our private-label products.
However, again, we want to reassure you that there is nothing more important to us than the quality, safety and integrity of our products, and providing products that we can stand behind with our label.
BELOW IS MY FOLLOW UP EMAIL WHICH THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO.
HOW MUCH WOULD THE CERTIFIED HUMANE ORGANIZATION CERTIFICATE ADD PER CAN? I WOULD GLADLY PAY MORE FOR A CERTIFIED HUMANE PRODUCT AS WOULD A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE.
Thank you for your response, however, I am not concerned about the quality of your products or that it meets with the USDA standards. I just want to know specifically if you can guarantee that your “very strict standards” mean that the coconut milk sold by TJs is not picked by monkeys or children?
Thank you
Could you check on Alter Eco as well? I think they source their coconuts in India, and have a gofundme page for the farmers there. They sell coconut clusters.
We will check!
I contacted Field Day about this issue and got the following response:
Thank you for writing to us and inquiring about Field Day’s Coconut products.
The coconut used for the oil and milk are not harvested by any nonhuman animal. I have provided some additional information taken from our supplier code of conduct form that may be helpful.
Suppliers will compensate their employees with wages and benefits that are in compliance with the local and national laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they do business.
Suppliers must ensure that working hours are consistent with local regulations. If regulations do not address standard working hours, suppliers must ensure that work hours are not excessive or unfair.
Suppliers will not use forced labor.
Suppliers or their subcontractors will not use child labor. Child labor is defined for these purposes as any person employed at an age younger than the legal minimum age for working in any specific jurisdiction.
Suppliers will insure that adequate accommodations for the health and safety of workers have been implemented and are maintained.
Suppliers will comply with all USDA requirements for product safety and maintain adequate security at all production and warehousing facilities to prevent dangerous exposures to health hazards or perilous cargo.
I hope this information is helpful, thank you for contacting us.
Thrive Coconut Oil is not on your list.
We will look into it!
According to this email exchange, Miyoko’s coconut oil is harvested by people:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ar-news/rts_zS72dN0
Hi,
I’ve contacted ALMITAS that is a brand that makes an – as far as I know – only EU-based coconut oil. In their reply, they seemed really well-minded and they said that the coconuts that are used in the making of this product are sourced from the Philippines but they confirmed that they do not use monkeys to harvest the coconuts. They also confirmed that all of their suppliers operate in full compliance with local laws and regulations (which I hope means that they do not use child labor and the workers are properly paid) – although the brand has not yet applied for being officially recognized as fair-trade.
Also, the product comes in sustainable packaging (fairly large size – glass jar – metal cap) which is definitely worth mentioning 🙂
I would happily insert their reply but it wasn’t in English so I thought I’d translate the gist of it.
All in all, I hope this brand can make it to your list because I’m pretty sure this information would be a great help to every concerned Europe-based vegan who happens to stumble across this article – as I was searching myself for this information just a few days ago.
Thank you for your work!
Hi. Another few companies that aren’t on your list – Pipkin and Optima.
We will work on updating the list soon!
Can you add Agri-life from Thailand to your research list.
Hello there! This page is very helpful, if up-to-date — would you mind placing the dates of confirmation next to each company listed? That would be incredible! I’ll check back 🙂
We will work on this!
What about Kirkland (Costco) brand Coconut Oil and other products?
We’ll add it to our list to research!
What about ‘Grace’ brand – I get their coconut butter in a box and it is far cheaper than the coconut manna in a jar….thinking this is why its so cheap…. er
We’ll look into it!
I am also waiting for these results.
Hi there! This blog post was brought to our attention by a consumer. Please know the organic coconuts used to make our products are harvested by legal human labor. No animals or children labor. The same can be said for our Let’s Do Organic® and Nature Factor® brands. Thanks! – Native Forest®
Thank you for letting us know! We’ll add you to the list.
Yes you don’t have my coconut brand in there either..Chantal organics.
We will add it to our list to research & add. Thanks!
Hello,
thanks for the list. Is it current? thanks
Hi Nancy,
The list has not been updated with new companies, for about a year or so. It is on our to-do list!
Thank you for the list and great info!
Just to add to it, I contacted Native Forest and here was their reply:
“Thank you for contacting Edward & Sons.
I am pleased to confirm no monkeys are used to harvest the organic coconuts for our Organic Coconut Milks and Organic Coconut Cream. Harvesting is carried out by legal human labor only using long handle hook knives and ladders. “
Great, thanks for checking!
Thank you for looking into animal exploitation in the coconut industry. Someone had a good point about the possibility of child exploitation too. It’s great that some companies replied but more needs to be done. If farms don’t participate in exploitation, then companies need to advertise this on their products. If they have nothing to hide, then they should be more than willing to verify this doesn’t take place. Sure, some companies may still lie, but I don’t know if most businesses would want to put their own companies’ reputation, future sales & customer loyalty at risk. Smart companies wouldn’t anyways.
PS: I’m looking into a Fair trade brand Camino (this brand is sold in Canada) I was more interested in their flaked coconut & whether or not they in general participate in animal exploitation. I’ll let you know what they’re reply is once I hear back.
Hi Amanda,
When we reach out to brands, we ask about monkey use, and child labor! The companies on the approved do not participate in either – to our knowledge. We agree that companies need to make it more clear on packaging what their business practices are.
Great, thank you!
-Claire
Hi,
I contacted the makers of Aroy-D products (Canada) and they confirmed that they do not use monkeys to pick the coconuts used in their products.
“Thank you for your email and inquiry. Aroy-D products are not harvested by use of monkeys. Workers are paid in fair compensation and children are not used in forced labour.”
January 2020
Hi Chantal,
I’m not too sure about that. PETA says Aroy-D does force monkeys to harvest coconuts: https://www.petaasia.com/action/coconut-brands-dont-support-monkey-labor/
There are many other articles on the internet that say so.
Hi, I buy my coconut oil from Costco which is a Kirkland brand from Vietnam. Also I use Omega Nutrition refined coconut oil from Thailand. Do you have any information on either of these?
Thank you for sharing this disturbing information and I hope you can find out if the two products I use do involve cruelty.
Hi Diane, I will contact the company, and get back to you! Thanks, Claire – Social Media Manager
I contacted Violife about this and this was the reply:
Dear —–,
Your question of animal cruelty is very important and something we have taken measures against.
We use large, well renowned European coconut oil processors who are committed against child labor and the use of animals (monkeys).
They are supplied crude coconut oil only from recognized farms committed against child labor and animal cruelty. This of course involves us paying a premium that we gladly do.
Furthermore we – Arivia – and our suppliers are members of SEDEX (Regarding Ethical Trading covering No Animal Labour & Abuse).
Stay tuned on our social media pages for all Violife news!
We remain at your disposal,
Kindest Regards,
The Violife Team
Great, thank you for contacting them! – Claire, Social Media Manager
Hi Thanks for sharing the information
You’re welcome!
Hi, I contacted:
https://kevala.net/
and received this reply:
“Hi Shane,
Thank you for contacting us!
Our Coconut Butter comes from Sri Lanka, and it is processed and packaged in the USA.
Children and/or monkeys are not used in any of our product’s harvesting, processing or packaging.
Best regards,
Andrea Hinojosa”
Thank you! – Claire, Social Media Manager
Hi, I contacted:
https://www.renascentbathbody.com.au/collections/soap-bases/products/castile
and received this reply in relation to their supplier:
https://kevala.net/
“Date: 11/07/2019
Coconut Products – Harvest
We can confirm that with reference to the harvesting of coconuts no monkeys were used at
the coconut plantations. The coconuts are manually harvest by farmers.
Yours Faithfully,
The Kerfoot Technical Team”
Thank you Shane!
Hello, I have received a response from Nature’s Charm, admitting that they assure their coconuts aren’t picked by monkeys (or children):
“Dear Evelina,
Thank you for your message and for your kind interest in the Nature’s Charm range. We are a vegan family company and we make it an important point that all the coconuts used in our facility are not picked by monkeys or young children. We also make random visits to the farms to check on this from time to time.
Best regards,
Marisa Osonphasop”
Great, thank you so much for checking! I will add them to the list!
It sounds like you are relying solely on self-reporting, and worse– a non-public email response from a single contact at each of these companies without any sort of verification or accountability. Considering the fact that no one actually admits to harvesting coconuts in this way, what makes you sure that your list is reliable? If there is no enforcement or 3rd party verification, you could be doing more harm than good by making us think these companies are animal slavery free if there is no way to know that they are not. Can you make any sort of verification or enforcement? Lacking this, it looks like I’ll be living a coconut-free life.
Why would any animal enjoy being chained up and beaten to be trained to jump from tree to tree to get coconuts. You need some compassion!
I have some Organic Coconut Oil in my cupboard, which is Sainsbury’s own brand. All I can gather from the label is that it’s the product of the Phillipines. Any idea which company supplies Sainsbury’s this? Or whether they’re on your “acceptable” list?
We will contact them, thanks! – Claire, Social Media Manager
What about ALDI Good & Smart brand or the GOYA brand? Thank you
We’ll reach out to them! Thanks, Claire, Social Media Manager
I have just begun to enjoy ‘Innocent’ Coconut Water because I was low on potassium on a recent hospital admission.
The coconut water pack states it is an excellent source of potassium.
But I shall never drink it again unless there is a serious investigation into such abhorrent animal cruelty!!
Margaret.
We’ll reach out to them, and ask about monkey and child labor. Thanks, Claire, Social Media Manager
Lucy Bee?
We’ll contact them, thank you! – Claire, Social Media Manager
We use Pink Solution for laundry and cleaning.
Would you mind adding them to your list?
They use an ecosafe logo, nothing about fair trade or animal use.
Thank you!
We will reach out to them, thank you! – Claire, Social Media Manager
Hello, please could you find out if The Bidy Source extra virgin coconut oil is picked by monkeys. I am devastated to find out this is happening. Regards
We will contact them, thanks! – Claire, Social Media Manager
[…] of Thai origin may participate in the exploitation of monkeys for labour. There is a great resource here with brands that have confirmed that they do not use this type of labour. One other thing to note […]
Are Aldi on the list at all? I think they use Asia Specialities
We will contact them! Thanks, Claire, Social Media Manager
Can you check in to Kirkland brand coconut products?
We will reach out to them, thank you. – Claire, Social Media Manager
Can you please check on NC Coconut CO LTD of Damnoen Saduak, Thailand? Thanks.
I am worried that the companies I contact who do use monkey or child labor will not admit to it, so how can we make sure they are telling us the truth?
Hi,
Can you please ask Malee (https://www.malee.co.th/) if they use monkeys to harvest and add the details on this page?
Thank you.
Hi! Yes, we will reach out to them. Thank you, Claire, Social Media Manager
What about Lidl? I am based in UK but they are German company. Tin jist says it is produced in Thailand.
We are currently working on updating the list, and will reach out to Lidl! Thanks, Claire, Social Media Manager
Hello. Wondering if you could add the “last updated” date to your list? Thanks!
Great idea, thank you!! – Claire, Social Media Manager
I have reached out to Goya asking if their coconut suppliers for their Coconut Water sold at walmart use monkeys to harvest the coconuts. I have not received a reply. That can’t be good.
Thanks for reaching out to them! We will also contact them. – Claire, Social Media Manager
Hi could you please add Pure Tropics (Aldi Australia) coconut water to the list? Thank you
We’ll reach out to them! Thanks, Claire, Social Media Manager
None of those we can find here in Ireland, any chance you could ask Amoy, Blue Dragon or Chef’s Choice? Great resource and much appreciated! 🙂
We will check in with them, thank you! – Claire, Social Media Manager
[…] milk, oil, water, or any other coconut product from Thailand that use slave monkeys. Check out this list of approved brands that get their coconuts from monkey-free plantations. Together we change the […]
The news about the monkeys was one of the worst things I’ve read in recent times. I had some coconut oil from Groovy Foods – https://www.groovyfood.co.uk – so I asked them about their supply chain and they responded with:
“Thanks for getting in touch, we really appreciate your concern. We are aware of the story regarding harvesting coconuts in Thailand using monkeys.
We understand this practice is being used on some coconut plantations in certain parts of the world. We do not source our coconuts from these regions. The Groovy Food Company’s products are derived from coconuts sourced from plantations where they are harvested manually by humans.
We are members of SEDEX (www.sedexglobal.com), which is an organization empowering sustainable and ethical supply chains. The Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, is a not for profit membership organization dedicated to driving improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains.
Additionally, all The Groovy Food Company coconut products are The Vegan Society Accredited.“
Thank you for reaching out to them, and sharing their response! Thanks, Claire
I contacted MyLife re: BioCheese, this was their response. I emailed them again because they didn’t specify whether they use animal labour and I have not received a response.
Thank you for your enquiry and for your interest in our BioCheese range of products.
Good morning Linda
Thank you for your enquiry and for your interest in our BioCheese range of products.
As you will see on our website, we stand by our products and love making great food for our customers while too making a difference in communities across the country and around the world. This encompasses ensuring we embed sustainable practice into every part of what we do. We’re always seeking and finding better ways to create long-term social, environmental and economic value in the communities in which we work and live.
Having checked with our suppliers, we can confirm that sourcing of raw materials such as the coconut that the coconut oil is derived from complies with Sustainable Farming and code of Labour Practice which includes harsh or inhumane treatment of people and animals should not be allowed. Our coconut oil is sourced from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our products as much as we do.
Kind regards
Customer Care
Just received this reply from MyLife.
Hi Linda
For clarity, there are no animals used for harvesting.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards
Customer Care
I am looking at an affordable coconut oil product and found the Kirkland brand, can you see if this company has your approval? It’s not on your list, thank you
It’s not currently on our list, but it might be safe to assume that if Costco is dropping a brand because of forced labor, their personal brand should also not have monkey labor.
Just checked the coconut milk I use. It’s KTC, a UK company that sources the stuff from Thailand. Not on your lists. info@ktc-edibles.co.uk
(25-3-2021): I discovered some months back, an article in a social media post, that the only tinned coconut milk I was prepared to buy, Chaokoh, from Thailand, is monkey picked. I advised the supermarket chain who’ve now withdrawn the product (without responding), although they may have done anyway. Please add it to your list and I will advise any retailer. Thanks.
Also, I’ve (finally) received response from The Groovy Food Co (UK) that the source of their coconut sugar & flower is Sri Lankar. Howver, what I don’t yet know is if SL is also another slave monkey producing nation. i wouldn’t add that co to your good list just yet.
Thanks very interesting blog!
list of reputable canadian pharmacies https://telegra.ph/Technology-A-linchpin-To-Maintain-Businesses-Handle-Remote-Workforce-Amid-Pandemic—Technology-02-16
You actually mentioned that wonderfully.
[…] in mind some coconut products source their coconuts from monkey slaves! (yes, not making this up. Here’s an article which explains and gives a list of companies that don’t use monkey’s as slaves to pick […]
[…] In some regions of the world, pig-tailed macaques are intentionally bred and trained – often with punishment – to harvest coconuts. The monkeys are always tethered to their “handler” and are not permitted to eat the coconuts they collect. via […]
[…] In some regions of the world, pig-tailed macaques are intentionally bred and trained – often with punishment – to harvest coconuts. The monkeys are always tethered to their “handler” and are not permitted to eat the coconuts they collect. via […]
[…] https://animalplace.org/did-a-monkey-pick-your-coconuts/ […]