Costco Will Stop Selling Chaokoh Coconut Milk Over Reports Of Monkey Labor
By Mayukh Saha
Costo, the US retail chain, is reportedly removing Chaokoh coconut milk from its shelves. PETA had recently accused Thai suppliers of Chaokoh of using forced monkey labor to pick coconuts.
PETA announced the decision on its website saying, “Victory! Costco, one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., has cut ties with Chaokoh coconut milk after discussions with PETA and hearing from thousands of concerned shoppers like you.”
Chaokoh coconut milk manufacturer and distributor Theppadungporn Coconut Co., Ltd has denied the allegations raised by PETA. They claimed there was no monkey labor involved in their coconut production.
“Following the recent news about the use of “monkey (labor)” in Thailand’s coconut industry, Chaokoh, one of the world’s leaders in coconut milk production, reassures that we do not engage the use of monkey (labor) in our coconut plantations,” the company said in a statement obtained by USA Today.
Chaokoh coconut milk Vs PETA
PETA has said that an investigation carried out by their Asia division found terrified monkeys abused, roughly trained, and forced to climb coconut trees to get the fruit. These animals are always chained and the handling is inhumane. The coconuts they bring are used to make milk, oil, flour, and coconut meat, among other products.
PETA went to 8 different farms where monkeys were under forced labor. One of these farms is owned by Chaokoh coconut milk company’s suppliers. PETA “documented that these sensitive animals were abused and exploited.”
Many people, especially vegans, do not want to consume milk products that come from cows and other animals, so they go for products like coconut milk and almond milk. Now that this monkey labor has come to light, it is important that large retailers like Costco stop supporting them. Walgreens, Giant Food, Stop & Shop, and Food Lion also have stopped stocking Chaokoh coconut products.
Source: Truth Theory
Hey! Message me. I am Mayukh. I help people and websites with content, videos, design, and social media management. I am an avid traveler and I started living as a digital nomad in Europe since 2019. I am currently working on www.noetbook.com – a creative media company. You can reach out to me anytime: justmayukh@gmail.
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