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Original poster

Tony’s chocolate - duped

101 replies

Marsis · 20/02/2021 20:37

So not as ethical as they like to make out it seems. They partner with a large chocolate brand in Europe and their website and packaging is actually very carefully worded to say they are working towards ‘slave free’ chocolate rather then it actually being slave free. They are no longer on the ‘ethical lists’

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2021/02/13/tonys-chocolonely-dropped-from-ethical-list-over-slavery-links-14076481/amp/

I can’t help but think it’s very clever marketing on their part and quite unethical as I really think looking at the product they want you to think they are slave free.

They did a stunt a few weeks ago with chocolates copying kitkat etc taking the moral high ground but they actually aren’t any different to them it seems. Also they state that the big retailers were pressured to remove the copy bars but nothing to corroborate this and I think I read that they did it themselves as marketing ploy.

Many ethical retailers have pulled them claiming to have been misled. One quite prominent large ethical retailer has dug their heels in or ‘ placed their stake in the sand’ standing by the product saying they never said they were slave free etc although they themselves have made the 100% slavery free claim and not corrected anybody who has made the assumption. It feels like they can’t just admit they were wrong and trying to justify their position not doing their business any favours for the sake of some chocolate bars.

OP posts:
Flibbertygibbertywoo · 21/02/2021 08:23

What is going on with babipur? I saw a post on a second hand toy page saying they were removing them as recommended retailers due to the Tony’s thing (which I agree is much ado about nothing) and accusations of sexual harassment.

The post was deleted as the admins seem to have been given a kicking.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 21/02/2021 08:24

Some googling reveals that Reply All is the name of the podcast. And also reveals that I don't fully understand what a podcast is.

TonightMatthew · 21/02/2021 08:27

Have googled further on the podcast and it seems that the presenter and producer acted improperly when other workers tried to form a union to give more protection to (among others) workers of colour. The presenter has taken a leave of absence to think about how much of a dick he was.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General food
Fluffien · 21/02/2021 08:27

I am not a fan of the chocolate (the best tasting one is none after the market has been littered with oily, bland bars and overpriced ones), but I agree that the OP is misleading. The BMI bonus was also axed a few years ago, and for a company who lets staff take chocolate home I can get the concept of it, but think it was the right decision to do so. From the info they release etc it seems like they genuinely do try and do the 'right' thing, but any brand that goes mainstream from more humble beginnings will face a lot of scrutiny from competitors, not all will be founded.

RoseAndRose · 21/02/2021 08:31

I tried a bar of Tony's, because it was recommended by several as tasting how chocolate used to.

It really didn't to me

I'm now wondering if what I read was 'placed' into discussion, rather than being a genuine spontaneous comment.

Plural · 21/02/2021 08:35

I think it's worth posting this as some defence to them (I'm no way involved just read this)

good.business/thinking/weekly-shorts/chocolonely-at-the-top/

But before you join the masses on Twitter calling for the head of the eponymous Tony, let’s look closer. Tony’s does not have any slavery in its supply chain, which is astoundingly traceable end-to-end. The issue in this case was that one stage of its chocolate production – turning raw beans into liquid chocolate – is undertaken by cocoa giant Barry Callebaut, which has links to slavery. Tony’s processing is done in an isolated part of the factory to ensure traceability, but the association alone, and the perceived financial advantages it grants, has caused the issue.

Therarestone · 21/02/2021 08:36

So it's better to go with a chocolate brand who don't even raise awareness?

RainingBatsAndFrogs · 21/02/2021 08:39

OP: they use that company to supply and process their beans

They are not. They source and supply their own beans. Which are then processed (on a separate production line) by the Belgian company.

VintageStitchers · 21/02/2021 08:45

But it’s horrible tasting chocolate!

I tried it and thought ‘yuck’ so regardless of it's ethical stance, I won’t be buying it.

Lidl do a nice free trade organic chocolate.

saffire · 21/02/2021 08:49

I've never seen Tony's chocolate for sale in an actual shop (but then I've not been in one for a year now!) I didn't even know it was a thing! I've seen it online, but for some reason the retro packaging makes me cringe and not want to buy it.

Fluffien · 21/02/2021 08:49

@Therarestone

So it's better to go with a chocolate brand who don't even raise awareness?
It's a lot easier to not even bother as a company, no one will try and cancel you because they expect you to be crap, it's sad. Yes some pay/buy especially because they think something is ethical and they should be held accountable to their claims and marketing, but this seems like sour grapes largely.
TheDamnFoolThatShotHim · 21/02/2021 08:54

@Flibbertygibbertywoo I saw the same post and then noticed it had gone.

I suspect it was the response to the male employee in the BP group and how this was handled by BP owners that was possibly the last straw for the toy group admins, rather than the Tonys thing (which I agree has been whipped up to be a bit of a pile on!)

A number of people called out the sexually suggestive comments and the double standards as there would quite rightly have been uproar if a female employee got a similar reaction in a male dominated group.
BP owners apparently laughed it off, deleted the critical comments and left the harassment to stand.

Original poster
Marsis · 21/02/2021 08:54

@RainingBatsAndFrogs they don’t claim to be 100% slave free their ‘mission’ is to make it that way. They have deliberately misled people into thinking that’s what they said then gone ‘no we never said that.’

tonyschocolonely.com/uk/en/why-we-still-wont-say-were-100-slave-free

OP posts:
EasterIssland · 21/02/2021 08:54

@Therarestone

So it's better to go with a chocolate brand who don't even raise awareness?
The problem of Tony’s has been that they’re proud of themselves about being ethical. So when you say you’re ethical and don’t promote slavery ... if something is linked to you that could not be ethical then it’s normal that people are asking what is going on

Cadbury has never said they’re ethical and promote themselves for being an ethical chocolate. So it’s up to you whether you make the decision whether to eat it or not. Whilst Tony’s one of the biggest reasons for people buying is about being ethical hence ... why people are so disappointed... some will continue buying and some won’t

DazzlePaintedBattlePants · 21/02/2021 08:55

Their pretzel chocolate is not as good as the (much) cheaper Aldi alternative.

I also don’t like the workery surrounding companies that descend into purity spirals. Companies trying to do a better job than the mainstream seem to get hounded for not being whiter than white.

Smeds · 21/02/2021 08:56

@Flibbertygibbertywoo

What is going on with babipur? I saw a post on a second hand toy page saying they were removing them as recommended retailers due to the Tony’s thing (which I agree is much ado about nothing) and accusations of sexual harassment.

The post was deleted as the admins seem to have been given a kicking.

There's been a bit of drama about them standing by Tonys, lots of people agreeing and disagreeing. The sexual harassment thing probably refers to photos of male staff members promoting products etc. and then lots of mums making cringeworthy comments like "ooh I would" and "can i order one of him please". Some people see that as a bit of harmless fun. Others are horrified and have pointed out that if it was a load of men making comments like that about a woman, it wouldn't be allowed.
Smeds · 21/02/2021 08:58

I type too slow Grin @TheDamnFoolThatShotHim sums it up better

balloonsintrees · 21/02/2021 09:03

None of it is strictly ethical, not coffee, chocolate, sugar etc.
Mostly it is all stored in the same warehouses, produced under the same conditions, but processed slightly differently.
There are large agri businesses that do treat their producers in exceptionally ethical ways, but this all behind the scenes as they only supply the raw ingredients to the processors.

KnobJockey · 21/02/2021 09:11

My feeling is that it's not a big deal what they're doing, IF they'd been honest about it. If you're going to call out other companies in being unethical, you need to be squeaky clean themselves. If they had said we are slave free, we do use xx for this who is not slavery free but this is why...a whole load of this mess would have been avoided.

If you are going to try and shame the big boys about what they are doing, dont be surprised when they turn and attack back, and make sure they can't paint a target on you!

PolarnOPirate · 21/02/2021 09:18

Yeah. Plus I bought a really shitty floury tasteless bloomed bar from Hamleys, told Tony’s, they said theyd send me 2 bars of my choice and they never bloody arrived!! Its OK because that annoying irregular shape of their bars’ sections is really hard to eat. Don’t get the hype!!

LadyEloise · 21/02/2021 09:24

I learn something new most days on Mumsnet.
I never realised that slave child labour was being used in chocolate production.
Shame on me for my ignorance.
Shame too on all those executives working in head offices of those big multinational companies, many with children of their own.
Shame on them for allowing this.

I had no idea what BP was either, thinking it was the petro chemical giant. I had never heard of babipur.

AdaHopper · 21/02/2021 09:44

Their ingredients are slave free. They have partnered with a Belgian chocolate producer to make use of the production equipment.
This partner chocolate producer doesn't have a slave free chain for their ingredients.
So it is the partnership that is an issue, not the actual ingredients of Tonys chocolate.
They are saying they wanted to prove that it is possible to scale slave-free chocolate.
It was probably an unwise decision of them but I feel it is unjust to completely drag them through the mud as the chocolate itself is slave free.

LimaFoxtrotCharlie · 21/02/2021 09:57

Their pretzel chocolate is not as good as the (much) cheaper Aldi alternative

Tony’s pretzel chocolate is far better than Aldi’s, which has palm oil and I can’t even find what the cocoa content is (Tony’s is 42%)

Flibbertygibbertywoo · 21/02/2021 09:57

[quote TheDamnFoolThatShotHim]@Flibbertygibbertywoo I saw the same post and then noticed it had gone.

I suspect it was the response to the male employee in the BP group and how this was handled by BP owners that was possibly the last straw for the toy group admins, rather than the Tonys thing (which I agree has been whipped up to be a bit of a pile on!)

A number of people called out the sexually suggestive comments and the double standards as there would quite rightly have been uproar if a female employee got a similar reaction in a male dominated group.
BP owners apparently laughed it off, deleted the critical comments and left the harassment to stand. [/quote]
Thank you for the info! I didn’t see that part of the post, it sounds entirely reasonable then.

LadyEloise · 21/02/2021 10:55

I've bought Tony's Chocolonely bars before but thought they were called Tony's Chocolooney Blush
As in someone was mad for chocolate.
And I'm considered quite observant.

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