In August 2011, FLA began working with Nestlé to evaluate labor and human rights issues in the hazelnut supply chain in Turkey. FLA commissioned a team of six experts to conduct an assessment of labor conditions in Turkey regarding the production, harvesting, and transportation of hazelnuts. In collaboration with FLA staff, the assessors conducted research and gathered information through interviews and meetings with civil society organizations, workers, and other local stakeholders.
The assessment team visited 26 farms during August 2011. They conducted on-site and off-site interviews with 377 workers involved in the hazelnut harvest, including local workers, foreign migrant workers, family workers, growers, labor contractors, supervisors, manau, and processors.
Assessors evaluated labor conditions based on internationally recognized standards, including the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct and conventions of the International Labour Organization, and Turkish law. A number of procedural and substantive supply chain risks and noncompliances were found related to FLA labor standards.
