The Bitter Truth About Your Chocolate Bar: Big Chocolate Earns More Per Minute Than Cocoa Farmers Make in a Year

The Mars family, owners of Snickers, M&M's, and Milky Way, received $1.5 billion in dividends from Mars Inc. in 2024 alone. That works out to roughly $170k per hour, every hour, of every day, all year long.

Meanwhile, on the farms where the cocoa beans are actually grown, a typical farming family in Ghana earns around $2 per day or about $730 a year.

Let that land for a second. In just 15 seconds, the Mars family earns more in dividends than a cocoa farming family earns in an entire year of gruelling, sun-up-to-sun-down labour.

Or to put it another way: a farming family, including an average of four to five people, in a 50 year working life will earn about $36,500. The Mars family will earn this same amount in less than 13 minutes for doing nothing (the Mars family haven't actively managed the business since 2001).

And if the ethics aren't enough, the chocolate itself is a problem. Testing has found lead and cadmium in virtually every dark chocolate bar on shelves, pesticides are widespread in conventional cocoa farming and many of the chemicals being sprayed on cocoa in West Africa wouldn't even be legal on farms in New Zealand, the US or Europe.

This is a story about who profits from your chocolate, who suffers for it and what's actually hiding inside it.

A $130 Billion Industry Built on Poverty

The global chocolate industry is worth over $130 billion, and it's dominated by a small number of massive corporations. Mars Inc. generated $54.6 billion in net sales in 2024. Mondelēz International (the company behind Cadbury, Milka, and Toblerone) brought in $36.4 billion the same year. Ferrero Group, makers of Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, and Kinder, reported revenue of €18.4 billion for the 2023/2024 financial year.

The Mars family's combined fortune is estimated at around $120 billion, making them one of the wealthiest families on the planet. For context, the entire GDP of Ghana, where a huge portion of the world's cocoa comes from, is around $76 billion.

These numbers are staggering on their own. But they become genuinely obscene when you look at what's happening at the other end of the supply chain.

The People Growing Your Cocoa Are Going Hungry

Over 60% of the world's cocoa comes from two West African countries: Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Virtually all of it is produced by smallholder farmers, families working small plots of land, typically 3 to 5 hectares, with no machinery and often no access to credit.

According to Oxfam's 2023 analysis, up to 90% of Ghanaian cocoa farmers do not earn a living income. That means they cannot reliably afford enough food, clothing, housing, or medical care for their families. Many survive on just $2 a day, well below the World Bank's extreme poverty threshold of $2.15 per day.

The 2022 Cocoa Barometer found that the average cocoa farmer earns between $0.40 and $0.45 USD per day, with the living wage in Ghana estimated at $13.50 per day. The average cocoa farmer in Ghana produces about one metric ton of cocoa annually, but according to Oxfam, they would need to earn an additional $2,600 per year just to reach a basic living income.

And here's what makes it worse: while farmer incomes have been falling, down an average of 16% since 2020 according to Oxfam, the big chocolate companies have been going the other direction. The four largest public chocolate corporations (Hershey, Lindt, Mondelēz, and Nestlé) made nearly $15 billion in profits from their confectionery divisions alone between 2020 and 2023, with profits rising by an average of 16%. The exact same percentage that farmer incomes fell.

As Oxfam put it: "There's big money in chocolate, but definitely not for farmers."

The Value Chain is Rigged Against Farmers

A study on the distribution of value in European chocolate supply chains found that cocoa farmers receive only about 6.6% to 11% of the final retail price of a chocolate bar. Meanwhile, 70% of the total value and 90% of all margins end up with brands and retailers, the companies at the very end of the chain.

The farmers have essentially no negotiating power. The cocoa market is dominated by a handful of powerful traders, processors, and manufacturers who control up to 80% of the value chain. Farmers in remote West African communities typically have no alternative buyers and no access to market information. They take what they're offered, or their harvest rots.

Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana tried to fight back. In 2019, both countries introduced the Living Income Differential (LID), adding a $400-per-tonne premium on cocoa exports. But chocolate companies have found ways to work around it, some have reduced the amount of cocoa in their products, substituting cheaper ingredients like hazelnut paste and whey powder. Others have shifted some sourcing to countries without the LID.

This is the reality of fair trade cocoa, or rather the lack of it. When companies can simply dodge the mechanisms designed to help farmers, the whole system needs to change from the ground up.

The Hidden Toxins in Your Chocolate

The ethical disaster of the chocolate industry would be reason enough to rethink your buying habits. But there's another layer to this story that hits even closer to home: what's actually in the chocolate you're eating.

Lead and Cadmium in Chocolate

In 2022, Consumer Reports tested 28 popular dark chocolate bars and found lead and cadmium in every single one. For 23 of those bars, eating just one ounce per day would expose you to levels of lead or cadmium that could be harmful over time, particularly for children and pregnant women. Five of the bars exceeded concerning levels for both metals. If you're looking for dark chocolate without lead and cadmium you'll find it's surprisingly hard to avoid completely, though some brands are significantly better than others.

Follow-up testing in 2023 expanded to 48 chocolate products, including brownie mixes, chocolate chips, hot cocoa, and cocoa powder, and found that a third contained heavy metal levels above Consumer Reports' safety thresholds.

Research found that cadmium gets absorbed by cacao plants from the soil and accumulates in the beans as the trees grow. Lead, on the other hand, tends to contaminate the beans after harvest, as they dry outdoors and collect lead-laden dust and dirt. This means both problems are addressable, but the industry has been slow to act.

Are There Pesticides in Chocolate?

In short, yes. Between 75% and 96% of cocoa farmers in West Africa now use pesticides to manage the many pests that attack cacao trees. And the picture is not a pretty one. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE documented 20 different pesticides being used by Ghanaian cocoa farmers, including neonicotinoids (the class of insecticides linked to bee population collapse). About 79% of farmers surveyed had never received formal training on pesticide application.

The Be Slavery Free organisation's Toxic Cocoa report found that children's exposure to pesticides in cocoa farming has been increasing, from 10% in 2014 to 27% in 2019. Children handle pesticides during spraying, transporting, storing, mixing, and cleaning equipment.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and the world's most widely used herbicide, has been detected in multiple conventional chocolate products. Testing by Moms Across America found glyphosate residues in popular brands, with evidence that conventional cocoa growing practices, which include spraying around the base of plants to prevent weed growth, result in the chemical being taken up into the beans.

Many of the pesticides used on cocoa farms in West Africa are chemicals that would not be permitted for agricultural use in the US, EU, or New Zealand.

What the Certifications Actually Mean

When you're standing in the chocolate aisle trying to do the right thing, you'll see a few different certification labels. Here's what they actually mean, and where they fall short.

Direct Trade

Direct trade isn't a formal certification, it's a sourcing model used primarily by smaller, craft chocolate makers (known as "bean-to-bar" companies). These producers buy cocoa beans directly from farmers or cooperatives, cutting out middlemen and typically paying well above market prices. They also build long-term relationships with specific farming communities.

The advantage: Direct trade often results in the highest prices paid to farmers, along with better quality beans and full traceability.

The catch: There's no independent auditing, so you're relying on the company's word. This works well with small, values-driven brands but isn't scalable in the same way certification is.

Fairtrade Chocolate

Fairtrade is generally considered the strongest certification for farmer welfare. It guarantees a minimum price for cocoa (designed to be a safety net when market prices crash) and pays an additional Fairtrade Premium of $200 per metric tonne, which goes to the farmer cooperative to invest in community projects. Fairtrade chocolate also includes standards around labour rights, environmental protection, and democratic decision-making within cooperatives.

The catch: Even Fairtrade certification is not enough on its own to guarantee farmers a living income. And roughly 67% of cocoa produced under Fairtrade certification isn't actually sold on Fairtrade terms, meaning the buyers and premiums aren't always there for certified farmers. However, a 2024 Fairtrade study showed the proportion of Fairtrade farmers earning a living income is on track to triple, from 7% to 24%, following recent cocoa price increases.

Rainforest Alliance (formerly including UTZ)

Rainforest Alliance merged with UTZ in 2018 and now operates under a single certification. Its focus is broader, emphasising environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and sustainable farm management alongside social issues. Unlike Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance does not guarantee a minimum price or a fixed premium. Instead, it requires a "Sustainability Differential" payment, but the amount is negotiated between buyer and farmer.

The catch: Products can carry the Rainforest Alliance seal with as little as 30% certified content (though this is changing). Critics, including the Fair World Project, have argued that Rainforest Alliance is an easier and cheaper option for large corporations, which is why companies like Nestlé have switched from Fairtrade to Rainforest Alliance. It doesn't require the same financial commitment to farmers.

Organic Certification (USDA Organic / EU Organic)

Organic certification focuses on how the cocoa is grown, prohibiting synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilisers. For consumers concerned about pesticides in chocolate, organic cocoa directly addresses that problem. Organic certification systems also tend to have stronger traceability requirements, meaning the cocoa can be tracked back to the farm it came from.

The catch: A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition found that organic chocolate products often had similar levels of cadmium and lead than non-organic. This may be because organic processing methods (like longer sun-drying) create more opportunities for lead contamination, or because organic farms are sometimes on soils naturally higher in cadmium. So by buying organic, although you get the benefit of no pesticides you may not get any reduction in heavy metals.

How to Choose Ethical Chocolate

You don't have to give up chocolate. But you can make choices that put your money behind a fairer, cleaner version of the industry.

Look for Direct Trade or Fairtrade + Organic. This combination is the sweet spot. You get the farmer welfare protections of direct trade or fairtrade chocolate with the reduced pesticide exposure of organic.

Support bean-to-bar and direct trade brands. They pay farmers significantly more, invest in farming communities, and are transparent about their supply chains.

Check our full Chocolate Comparison Guide. We have produced a full comparison of the major chocolate brands on both worker conditions and toxins. See our guide here:

Buy less chocolate, but buy better. A single bar of high-quality, ethically sourced dark chocolate from a transparent brand will cost you more than a multipack of Mars bars. But you'll enjoy it more, it'll be better for your body, and it won't come at the expense of a farming family's dignity.

Spread the word. Most people have no idea about any of this. When someone reaches for a chocolate bar, they're not thinking about a West African family earning less than a dollar a day, or lead and cadmium contamination, or children handling pesticides. Sharing what you've learned, even just one conversation, one social media post, can shift the demand that these companies rely on.

The Bottom Line

The chocolate industry as it stands is a system where the people who do the hardest work earn the least, and the people who do the least earn the most. The Mars family collects $1.5 billion in dividends while the farmers growing their key ingredient can't feed their own children. Our chocolate is contaminated with heavy metals and pesticide residues from farming practices that are harming both the people who grow the cocoa and the ecosystems they live in.

This isn't about perfection. It's about awareness and incremental change. Every time you choose an ethically sourced chocolate bar over a conventional one, or support a bean-to-bar maker who pays a living income, you're voting with your wallet for the kind of food system you want to live in.

References

1. Caproasia. (2025). "Mars Family with $120 Billion Fortune Received $1.5 Billion Dividends from Mars Inc in 2024." caproasia.com

2. Mars, Inc. (2024). All About Mars. Revenue of $54.6 billion in 2024. mars.com

3. Mondelēz International. (2024). Q4 and FY 2024 Results. Net revenues of $36.4 billion. ir.mondelezinternational.com

4. Ferrero Group. (2024). Consolidated Financial Statements 2023/2024. Revenue of €18.4 billion. ferrero.com

5. Forbes & Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Mars family net worth estimates, including Jacqueline Mars at approximately $39-43 billion. bloomberg.com

6. Oxfam International. (2023). "Chocolate Giants Reap Huge Profits as Promises to Improve Farmers' Incomes Ring Hollow." oxfam.org

7. Freedom United. (2024). "Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers Demand Living Wages." Citing the 2022 Cocoa Barometer. freedomunited.org

8. World Economic Forum. (2020). "How Much Money Does a Cocoa Farmer Get?" weforum.org

9. BASIC / European Cocoa Association. (2020). "Comparative Study on the Distribution of Value in European Chocolate Chains." eurococoa.com

10. Consumer Reports. (2022). "Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate." consumerreports.org

11. Consumer Reports. (2023). "A Third of Chocolate Products Are High in Heavy Metals." consumerreports.org

12. Osei-Fosu, P. et al. (2022). "Knowledge, Perception, and Pesticide Application Practices Among Smallholder Cocoa Farmers in Four Ghanaian Cocoa-Growing Regions." PLOS ONE. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

13. Be Slavery Free. (2023). "Toxic Cocoa." beslaveryfree.com

14. Moms Across America. (2024). "Glyphosate Test Results in Major Chocolate Brands." momsacrossamerica.com

15. Make Chocolate Fair. "Pesticides in Cocoa Farming." makechocolatefair.org

16. Rainforest Alliance. (2024). "What Is the Difference Between Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade Certification?" rainforest-alliance.org

17. Frame, L. et al. (2024). "A Multi-Year Heavy Metal Analysis of 72 Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Products in the USA." Frontiers in Nutrition. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

18. Corporate Accountability Lab. (2023). "West Africa Cocoa Report 2023." corpaccountabilitylab.org

19. Fairtrade / Confectionery Production. (2025). "Farmer Incomes Show Key Upward Growth, Says Fairtrade Cocoa Sector Study." confectioneryproduction.com

20. VOA News. (2023). "Ghana's Cocoa Farmers Suffer Falling Incomes as Chocolate Makers Reap Profits, Says Oxfam." voanews.com

21. The Chocolate Scorecard. (2024). 5th Edition. thechocolatescorecard.com

22. FoodNavigator. (2024). "Why Cocoa Farmers Don't Earn a Living Income." foodnavigator.com

23. Wikipedia / CBS News (2023). Mars Inc. — CBS investigation into child labour in Ghana supply chain.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do cocoa farmers earn per day?

According to the 2022 Cocoa Barometer, the average cocoa farmer in Ghana earns between $0.40 and $0.45 USD per day, well below the World Bank's extreme poverty line of $2.15 per day. Oxfam's 2023 analysis found that many Ghanaian cocoa farming families survive on around $2 a day when other household income is included. The living wage in Ghana is estimated at $13.50 per day.

Is there lead in chocolate?

Yes. In 2022, Consumer Reports tested 28 popular dark chocolate bars and found lead and cadmium in every single one. For 23 of those bars, eating just one ounce per day would exceed safety thresholds for at least one of these heavy metals. Lead tends to get onto cocoa beans after harvest, accumulating from dust and dirt as beans dry outdoors. Some brands have significantly lower levels than others, so it is possible to find dark chocolate without lead and cadmium at concerning levels, but it requires checking test results or choosing brands that actively address the issue.

Are there pesticides in chocolate?

Yes. Between 75% and 96% of cocoa farmers in West Africa use pesticides, and a PLOS ONE study documented 20 different pesticides in use on Ghanaian cocoa farms, including neonicotinoids. Glyphosate residues have also been detected in conventional chocolate products. Many of the chemicals used on cocoa farms in West Africa would not be permitted for agricultural use in the US, EU, or New Zealand. Choosing organic chocolate is the most direct way to reduce your exposure to pesticides in chocolate.

What is ethical chocolate?

Ethical chocolate is chocolate produced in a way that prioritises fair pay for cocoa farmers, avoids child labour and deforestation, and minimises exposure to harmful chemicals. The strongest options combine Fairtrade and organic certifications, or come from bean-to-bar companies that buy direct from farmers and pay living income reference prices. See our full Chocolate Product Guide to get a full comparison of which brands are ethical.

What is fairtrade chocolate and does it actually help farmers?

Fairtrade chocolate is made with cocoa certified by Fairtrade International. The certification guarantees a minimum price for cocoa and pays a $200-per-tonne premium that goes to farmer cooperatives for community investment. It also sets standards around labour rights and environmental protection. While it's the strongest certification for farmer welfare, even Fairtrade hasn't been enough to guarantee farmers a living income. About 67% of Fairtrade-certified cocoa doesn't get sold on Fairtrade terms. A 2024 study showed that the proportion of Fairtrade farmers earning a living income is on track to triple from 7% to 24%.