Peta accuses Hellofresh of monkey forced labor

Among other things, the Berlin-based food supplier is said to buy coconut milk from suppliers who let chained monkeys pick the fruit.

An investigation by animal rights organization Peta has led to serious allegations against Berlin-based food supplier Hellofresh. According to the report, the start-up is said to use coconut milk obtained through the forced labor of monkeys. The animals are said to be forced to harvest the fruit in Thailand. In the process, they are chained, whipped and beaten, as Peta claims to prove through photo and video footage. Peta is therefore calling on Hellofresh, among others, to end its cooperation with these suppliers.

Peta found 57 farms in Thailand that harvest coconuts in this way. The animal rights organization is therefore calling on all companies, consumers and consumers not to buy coconut milk from the country.

Confronted by CBS News a Hellofresh company spokesperson condemns the forced labor and dismisses the allegations. "We have signed acknowledgements from all of our partners - in the U.S. and around the world - that they do not harvest coconuts in this manner," he told the station.