Tony’s Chocolonely has hit out at Lidl over a ‘copycat’ chocolate bar, claiming it “doesn’t feel right” that the discounter has created a similar design without the same sourcing principles.

According to The Grocer, Lidl’s Way To Go chocolate bar, which is made from 100% traceable cocoa beans grown by farmers from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana, imitates Tony’s Chocolonely’s unequally divided bars.

The supermarket said that cocoa farmers in Ghana receive the Fairtrade Minimum Price for cocoa, and The Fairtrade Premium, an extra sum of money for farmers to invest in their farms and communities.

It has also partnered with Fairtrade to pay an additional amount on every tonne of cocoa it buys, with the money supporting farmers to grow more local crops, like honey, that support a sustainable future and help secure livelihoods for farmers and their families, according to Lidl.

Meanwhile, Tony’s has five sourcing principles which it adheres to, including rigorous sourcing standards such as robust traceability, paying the living income reference price for cocoa, and building long term partnerships with partner cooperatives to support farmers and develop thriving cocoa communities.

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According to Tony’s Chocolonely, cocoa sourced to its five sourcing principles is proven to be verified deforestation free, reduce child labour from the industry average of 46.7% to 4.4%, and to contribute 62% to cocoa household income in Côte d’Ivoire.

The five principles are shared with partners of Tony’s Open Chain – an industry leading initiative that helps brands transform their cocoa supply chains for the protection of human rights and welfare – of which Aldi and Waitrose are signed up to for own-brand launches, however Lidl is not.

A Tony’s spokesperson told The Grocer: “If you are going to do a brand copycat our only ask is that on the sourcing side you copy Tony’s five sourcing principles too.

“Our unequally divided bar serves as a reminder that the cocoa supply chain is unequal. So, to copy this mission ‘device’, but not our entire sourcing principles – or better yet, join Tony’s Open Chain [TOC] – doesn’t feel right.

“Based on some of Lidl’s front-of-pack claims we would be interested to see if in this instance they are paying a living income price – now and over the long term as cocoa markets fluctuate – for all their cocoa.”

They added: “We would welcome talking to Lidl about getting real deal beans through TOC so we can work towards ending exploitation in cocoa together.”

A Lidl spokesperson said: “Way To Go is our Fairtrade-certified own-brand range and its core aims are to make the cocoa and other raw materials supply chain even fairer. We developed the Way To Go strategy and concept together with Fairtrade following a risks and needs based approach.

“Lidl is committed to supporting living incomes in countries where high-risk raw materials are sourced. For the Way To Go quantities purchased by Lidl, we add an additional Lidl Income Improvement Premium (IIP) on top of the Fairtrade minimum price and the Fairtrade premium. This IIP is based on the Fairtrade Living Income Reference Price (LIRP) methodology and is composed of a direct payment as well as the financing of project activities in the cooperatives.

“The project activities that are funded through the IIP reflect our goal to empower small-scale farming households within the cooperatives, helping them pursue income diversification and growth opportunities. Together with Fairtrade, we tailor these income improvement measures on the specific needs and risks faced by farmers.”

They continued: “Achieving sustainable income improvement requires stable social, economic and environmental framework conditions. To secure the future of the livelihood for farmers, we focus on diversification and preventive measures to adapt to climate change and more sustainable cultivation methods, helping to secure the environmental and economic basis for the cultivation and distribution of the respective Way To Go raw materials. We also address important social issues, such as gender equity, the protection of women and children, and occupational health and safety.

“All our Way To Go products are fully traceable back to their respective cooperatives, and we are continually working to increase this transparency. Regular reporting, analysis, and assessments help us evaluate the impact of our efforts and guide our future focus. Long-term supplier commitments are key to our Way To Go concept, ensuring income security for farmers.

“Building on the success of our Way To Go cocoa project, across the Lidl group we have extended this approach to coffee, cashews, and orange juice/orange-mango nectar supply chains in collaboration with Fairtrade. We are continuously exploring opportunities to expand the Way To Go own-brand range into new Lidl countries and welcome comparable initiatives and projects to further promote Living Income and Living Wages.”