The gummy bears you love are made by 'slaves', documentary claims

Haribo gummy bears use wax and gelatin that are produced in factories with poor living conditions for humans and animals, according to a new German documentary

German documentary claims Haribo's gummy bears are made of products sourced from factories that employ poor conditions for humans and animals
German documentary claims Haribo's gummy bears are made of products sourced from factories that employ poor conditions for humans and animals

The little, colourful gummy bears are a staple of children's parties but the chewy candy also loved by adults is made from products that are the fruit of 'slavery' and animal bruelty, according to a German documentary.

The recently released documentary, The Haribo Check, produced by WDR, German public broadcasting, paints a picture of poor work conditions in the Brasilian factories where carnauba wax is produced from palm trees. The wax is used in gummy bears to give them their shine and prevent them from sticking to each other.

The 44-minute documentary, the workers on the plantations live in rundown sleeping quarters, drink contaminated water from the river and are made to stay for a month at a time before being allowed to go home. The employees also cut down the palms without protective gloves or clothing.

But the documentary also accused the pig farms from where Haribo sources its gelatin - which comes from pig rinds - of animal cruelty. The TV channel spoke to animal rights activists, who entered the farms to record the poor conditions of the pigs.

Haribo said it is investigating the claims to see if suppliers were treating animals and workers in the way depicted in the documentary. The company wrote that it will act accordingly if the accusations turn out to be accurate, even if it means separating from those suppliers.

The Brazilian labour ministry said that the conditions depicted in the video were akin to "slavery" based on Brazil's labour laws.