Walmart is the latest store to pull Chaokoh coconut milk from their shelves after the brand got called out by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for using forced monkey labor to produce their products. Yikes!
PETA claims that the coconut milk supplier keeps monkeys chained up, mistreats the animals, and forces them to harvest the coconuts for their milk. This information comes from two undercover investigations PETA conducted at the base of the company’s manufacturer, Theppagundgporn Coconut Co., in Thailand.
In a press release issued by PETA, the organization’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said that “the coconut trade uses social monkeys as chained-up coconut-picking machines, depriving them of any opportunity to eat, play, or spend time with their families.” That is so sad!
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PETA also said they found "cruelty to monkeys on every farm, at every monkey-training facility, and in every coconut-picking contest that used monkey labor" and that "when not being forced to pick coconuts or perform in circus-style shows for tourists, the animals were kept tethered, chained to old tires, or confined to cages barely larger than their bodies."
Despite "public outcry" after PETA's first investigation, the company has continued these inhumane practices. Rather than putting an end to the monkey labor, they've simply made efforts to keep it under wraps. In their second investigation, the group "found that producers were still using monkey labor and that industry insiders were discussing how farms conceal this practice by simply hiding monkeys until auditors leave or by hiring contractors to bring in monkeys only during harvest time." That is some seriously sketchy behavior.
Walmart isn't the first to stop selling Chaokoh coconut milk after pressure from PETA. In fact, more than 45,000 stores have pulled the item from their shelves, including Target, Costco, and Wegmans. We're interested to see if anyone else decides to cut ties given these new developments.
