Target Drops Coconut Milk from Chaokoh on its shelves after reports emerged that the production of the drink was linked to monkey abuse.
In a statement on Monday, PETA said the retailer had discarded the product because an investigation by a non-profit organization had found Thai-based company Theppadungporn Coconut Co. has been “exploiting monkeys and lying about it.” Target joins Costco (COST), which dropped milk in October.
Target joins Costco in dropping coconut milk brand over forced monkey labor allegations https://t.co/PIzDw4Qx8f
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) January 26, 2021
PETA began investigating the exploitation of monkeys in Thailand two years ago. Their findings were published in a news release detailing how chained monkeys are forced to pick coconuts all day long. The monkeys were also found to be “bound, bound in old chains, or locked in cages larger than their bodies.”
Target (TGT) said it was “taking seriously the allegations made against Chaokoh, and because they could not adequately address the complaints raised, we decided to remove their product from our assortment by November 2020.”
A Target spokesman wrote in a statement “We believe in the treatment of animals with dignity and expect those who do business with us to do the same.”
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Chaokoh, one of the world leaders in the production of coconut milk and other coconut products, as well as Theppadungporn Coconut Co, did not immediately respond to comments. But the company told USA Today that it had researched coconut fields using a third party and “had not found the use of monkeys in coconut harvesting.”
