By When Americans think Halloween, we think chocolate and treats, often from Hershey’s. That all changed today In Hershey, PA, when Strawberry the orangutan and RAN exposed the link between Hershey’s halloween treats and the plight of the world’s last wild orangutans. Hershey’s won’t guarantee that its products are Conflict Palm Oil free, so we took action today to drive home the message that Americans don’t want to drive orangutans towards extinction for something as trivial as chocolate.
Take action now to tell Hershey’s you won’t accept Conflict Palm Oil in your snack foods.
Picture this: A black limousine pulls up outside Chocolate World in HersheyPark, the doors open and a group of dancing orangutans emerge and attract the attention of the crowd. They begin to roll out a red carpet in preparation for the appearance of the one, the only Strawberry the orangutan. Strawberry recently shot to fame after a video of her plea for help went viral two weeks ago. The dancing orangutans told the fans and paparazzi that Hershey’s had been so touched by Strawberry’s story they had decided to adopt a responsible palm oil policy and plan that would remove Conflict Palm Oil from Hershey’s products. They told the crowd that Strawberry was invited by Hershey’s very own CEO to make a grand appearance at the biggest event of the year, Hershey’s annual Halloween extravaganza. 
You can imagine people’s disappointment when Hershey security showed up and asked Strawberry to get back into her limo and leave HersheyPark. Strawberry and friends forced Hershey to admit that this was a stunt pulled off by Rainforest Action Network and that Hershey still has not taken action to protect the world’s last orangutans.
Unbeknownst to Hershey, this morning RAN also issued a fake press release from Hershey that announced a new commitment to adopt a global responsible palm oil policy and remove Conflict Palm Oil from Hershey’s products. The story was even picked up by the Patriot News, Hershey’s hometown newspaper. By forcing a public rebuttal of our statement and blocking Strawberry, Hershey’s is in the embarrassing position of publicly announcing that they have no plans to cut Conflict Palm Oil from their products.
This morning’s action was great but this day of action is not over yet — now it’s your turn to make sure that Hershey’s knows that there are thousands of people who care worldwide looking to them for leadership. Join us right now to tell Hershey’s to cut Conflict Palm Oil:
- 1. Post on Hershey’s Facebook wall: Hey Hershey’s, I’m standing with orangutans, and I can’t stand by brands that use Conflict Palm Oil. Demand responsible palm oil from your suppliers and eliminate Conflict Palm Oil from your products. The power is #InYourPalm.
- 2. Call Hershey at (717) 534-4200. Here’s a sample call script you can use: “Hi, my name is [your name] from [your city]. I’m a [student, mom, dad…] and one of your valued customers! It concerns me that your company cannot guarantee that it is not using Conflict Palm Oil in its products. Hershey’s must demand responsible palm oil from its suppliers and eliminate Conflict Palm Oil from its products. I encourage you to secure a new global responsible palm oil procurement policy and implementation plan that ensures that the palm oil in your company’s supply chain is fully traceable, legally grown, and sourced from verified responsible palm oil producers not associated with deforestation, expansion onto carbon-rich peatlands or human and labor rights violations. Thank You!”
- 3. Send a photo petition to Hershey’s and the other Snack Food 20 companies demanding Conflict Palm Oil free snacks and candy.
- 4. Tweet at Hershey: Hey @HersheysKisses, I can’t stand by brands that use Conflict #PalmOil. The power is #InYourPalm. As the biggest candy-consuming holiday of the year, this is the best time of year to tell the Snack Food 20 to cut Conflict Palm Oil from their snack foods, chocolates and candies.