COSTCO Drops Thai Coconut Milk Over Allegations of Forced Monkey Labor - PETA

Costco is the latest retailer in the US to pledge not to stock coconut products from Thai suppliers who have been accused of using monkeys as forced labor, officials from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals exclusively told USA TODAY this week.  Costco follows Walgreens, Food Lion, Giant Food and Stop & Shop, who also stopped stocking brands of coconut milk including Chaokoh after PETA alleged that monkeys in Thailand were used as coconut pickers.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said Costco made the right call to reject animal exploitation, and at the same time called on holdouts like Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, to follow suit. Costco said it has ceased purchasing from the supplier/owner of the brand Chaokoh and continue to monitor implementation of harvest policies and once satisfied will resume purchasing. On the other hand, Thailand-based maker of Chaokoh coconut milk, Theppadungporn Coconut Co. Ltd, said it has audited coconut plantations using a third party and “did not find the use of monkey for coconut harvesting.”

PETA has been pushing stores to stop selling coconut milk allegedly made with coconuts harvested by monkeys since it began investigating the alleged animal exploitation in 2019.