In a landmark decision, Thailand-based Chef’s Choice Foods has announced it will no longer source coconuts from Thailand. This follows a PETA Asia investigation that exposed the harsh realities of monkeys being chained, whipped, beaten, and forced to spend long hours picking coconuts. Chef’s Choice Foods, known for its popular coconut milk brand Nature’s Charm, which is sold in over 60 countries, including major U.S. retailers like Kroger and Sam’s Club, has taken a stand against this cruelty.
Even a Thailand-based company acknowledges the difficulty of ensuring that supply chains in the country are free of monkey labor. Monkeys are often threatened with violence and treated as mere tools for harvesting coconuts. PETA has praised Chef’s Choice Foods for this decisive action to prevent monkey abuse in its coconut milk production and is urging other Thai coconut milk producers to follow suit.
PETA Asia’s investigation, its third into Thailand’s forced monkey labor industry, revealed horrific abuses. One worker was seen striking a screaming monkey, dangling it by the neck, and whipping it with its tether. A female monkey used for breeding was kept chained in the sun without access to water, while other young monkeys suffered in cages. Coconut pickers admitted that monkeys often sustain broken bones from falling out of trees or being yanked by their tethers. Many of these monkeys are abducted from their families in the wild, despite being from threatened or endangered species.
How You Can Help Monkeys
Following Chef’s Choice Foods’ lead, German grocery chain Lidl and Co-op stores in the U.K. have also committed to stop sourcing coconut milk from Thailand. You can help protect monkeys by urging Whole Foods and other retailers to take similar actions and boycott Thai coconut milk until humane practices are ensured.
Your voice can make a difference. Contact these companies today and demand they stand against the abuse of monkeys in the coconut industry.
