Hazelnut Trail: ofi stresses importance of human rights in Turkish supply chains amid poor labor conditions

01 Dec 2021 --- Agri-food supplier olam food ingredients (ofi) is ramping up its efforts to safeguard human rights in its hazelnut supply chains, which are currently implicated by poor labor conditions. With a focus on eradicating child labor, the company’s Hazelnut Trail initiative offers transparency for consumers as plant-based ingredients continue to gather momentum.

The company has published its first public sustainability targets for 2030 across its supply chain in Turkey and highlights how partnerships are crucial to change in this space.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Ashok Krishen, CEO of ofi’s nuts platform, says that while hazelnuts have long been a consumer favorite, this ingredient is still poised for more growth. 

Ticking the sustainability box
Innova Market Insights found that of all new product launches in Europe in 2020 that include nuts, 41% featured hazelnuts. 

Seventy percent of the world’s hazelnuts are grown in Turkey.“Meeting this demand is a challenge for supply chains and, importantly, it needs to be sustainable. Today’s consumers want products that taste great, but also to have been produced in a way that’s good for farmers and the environment,” asserts Krishen.

“We’re innovating across our entire business to set specific targets for addressing supply chain and labor challenges for children and thousands of seasonal migrant workers. There’s still a lot to be done for the hazelnut industry as a whole, but we hope that – through the launch of Hazelnut Trail – we can inspire the industry to cooperate more closely by sharing our learnings and helping to drive positive change.”

Poor working conditions and child labor issues
Ever since ofi started working in Turkey nearly a decade ago, it’s been clear that unsafe working conditions and child labor are among the most pressing issues facing the sector. 

In this time, ofi, together with its customers and partners, including the Fair Labour Association, International Labor Organization and Save the Children, has supported over 20,000 hazelnut farmers and workers with agronomy, labor rights and community services.

According to Krishen, 70% of the world’s hazelnuts are grown in Turkey, where unsafe working conditions and child labor have been clear challenges. 

“Workers often migrate from the southeast of the country for the harvest, living in temporary accommodation and working long hours for low wages – 72% of these workers do not have a contract.”

To date, ofi has made significant leaps in tackling these issues since the company started its first sustainability projects a decade ago. 

“That includes becoming the first business in the sector to introduce labor contracts in 2018,” adds Krishen. “But there’s more to be done in the industry at large to ensure that safe and fair working conditions become the norm and secure the future of the hazelnut supply chain.”

Outlining commitment to supply chains goals
The company’s long-term goals include 100% child labor monitoring and remediation in its managed programs and 80% of all of its direct and indirect hazelnut volumes being traceable by 2030. 

To get there, it will be essential to define metrics and consistently report on progress, flags Krishen.ofi has published its first public sustainability targets for 2030 across its supply chain in Turkey.

“To help with that, our Olam Farmer Information System offers insight into crucial information about the workforce and communities, which helps us to take action and prevent poor working conditions. Additionally, we are looking for new partners to help scale our efforts and increase our work to help people throughout the supply chain,” he states.

In 2018, the business set a first for the hazelnut and Turkish agricultural sector by introducing labor contracts for seasonal migrant workers, with minimum wage guarantees and legal working hours. 

Customers, NGOs and government bodies can partner with ofi on a range of activities to support mutual sustainability goals. These range from community projects – like opening a summer school and building a school library for children of migrant workers – to sponsoring health visits for female workers or gender equality training for farmers. 

Overseeing these goals, Burcu Turkay, global sustainability manager of ofi’s nuts platform, says: “By setting targets and sharing program and footprinting data via our insights platform AtSource, we can give our partners a window into supply chain challenges and reassure customers that their pralines, spreads, pastes, milk and other hazelnut products not only taste great but are also helping to support rural communities.”

Earlier this year, ofi launched its Cashew Trail, the company’s sustainability strategy for cashew supply chains, in addition to a new set of targets for its Russian dairy operations and its first sustainability impact report for cocoa. 

By Elizabeth Green