LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fiance Carrie Symonds received promises on Friday from four British retailers to stop selling coconut products that use labor in their production, and urged others to do the same.
FILE PHOTO: Carrie Symonds, partner of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, arrives at the Counting Center at the Great Britain General Election in Uxbridge, Great Britain, on December 13, 2019. REUTERS / Toby Melville / File Photo
Symonds, a conservationist, was responding to a report in the Telegraph newspaper that highlighted the use of pigtail macaques taken from the wild in Thailand and used on farms to drain trees and harvest coconuts.
The report cites an investigation by animal rights organization Peta Asia.
“I’m glad Waitrose [JLPLC.UL], Co-op, Boots & Ocado have promised not to sell products that use monkey workmanship, while Morrisons has already removed them from their stores, “Symonds tweeted.
He called on all other supermarkets to stop selling the products, which include certain brands of coconut water and coconut milk, and named three chains.
Walmart-owned Asda said it was recalling Aroy-D and Chaokoh-branded products while investigating the report with its suppliers.
“We expect our suppliers to maintain the highest production standards at all times and will not tolerate any form of animal abuse in our supply chain,” it said in a statement.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said it was actively reviewing its ranges and investigating the problem.
“We are also in contact with PETA UK to support our investigations,” he said.
Tesco, Britain’s largest retailer, had no immediate comment.
Report by James Davey; editing by Michael Holden and Kevin Liffey
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