logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2019
28m 24s

The Bitter Song of the Hazelnut

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Every August tens of thousands of Kurdish migrant workers, including children, toil long hours for a pittance in the mountains of northern Turkey picking hazelnuts for the spreads and chocolate bars the world adores. Turkey provides 70% of all hazelnut supplies – and the biggest buyer is Ferrero, maker of Nutella and Kinder Bueno. The confectionery giant says it’s committed to ethical sourcing, and aiming for its hazelnuts to be 100% traceable next year. But how is that possible in Turkey, with its half a million tiny family orchards, where child labour is rife? Tim Whewell investigates Ferrero’s complex supply chain and finds that while hazelnuts are celebrated in Turkish culture and song, it’s a sector where workers and farmers feel increasingly unhappy and reform is very hard to achieve.

Up next
Feb 3
India's sportswomen playing to be seen
How sport is giving some young women in India a way out of child marriage and allowing them to be seen. Officially, the practice of child marriage is illegal in the country. But UNICEF estimates that over 200 million girls and women in India have been married before they turned 1 ... Show More
28m 40s
Jan 27
Nigeria: Killings, Land and Cattle
On Christmas Day 2025, the US carried out missile strikes on suspected Islamist militants in Nigeria. They came after President Trump said he would intervene to protect Christians amid controversial claims of a “Christian genocide” in the country. The Nigerian government rejects ... Show More
30m 40s
Jan 20
Greece: Rescuers on Trial
In a case with profound implications for European migration policy, 24 former volunteer aid workers have been on trial on the Greek island of Lesbos. Seven years ago, they were arrested after rescuing thousands of migrants from the sea. Now, after many delays, the case involving ... Show More
29m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
The great German sausage crisis
In Germany in 2002 there were some 19,000 small, neighbourhood butchers’ shops. They made and sold, among other things, that “great emblem of Germany’s national diet” – sausages. At last count, in 2021, there were fewer than 11,000 shops left. The German butchers’ trade associati ... Show More
27 m
Apr 2023
Turkey’s voters lose faith in Erdogan
<p>Companies have committed more than $200bn to US manufacturing projects since Congress passed sweeping subsidies last year, one of Charles Schwab’s largest investors sold its entire $1.4bn stake in the brokerage giant during last month’s banking turmoil, Turkish voters head to ... Show More
8m 56s
Jan 2018
Secrets 3 – Broken Dreams
Secrets is a show about the secrets we all carry inside of us. What happens when you’re too ashamed to face the truth? Mohamed’s parents both worked as cleaners, trying to earn enough money to feed six children. When Mohamed was just a year old, his father left his mother in Swed ... Show More
27m 52s
Dec 2023
Der grösste Nussknacker der Schweiz
Im bündnerischen Malans steht die effizienteste Nussknacker-Anlage der Schweiz. Bei der Genossenschaft «Swiss Nuss» werden pro Stunde 300 Kilo Baumnüsse verarbeitet, 40 Tonnen im Jahr.  Landwirtschaftsbetriebe aus Graubünden, St. Gallen und Luzern liefern ihre Walnüsse nach Malan ... Show More
56m 46s
Jun 2022
Ukraine’s homegrown harvest
Ukraine’s farms are under attack. Russian forces are burning or stealing grain and vegetables. The main growing regions in the south are under occupation, cutting off the country from its usual supplies of fresh food. What can the outside world do? Monica Whitlock reports from th ... Show More
26m 29s
Sep 2016
Turkey
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed July's failed military coup on the exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers. Since a 3-month state of emergency was declared, more than 50,000 people have been rounded up, sacked or suspended from their jobs in the mili ... Show More
27m 42s
Nov 2021
EP126: An Awfully Awkward Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner with a Bosnian family, How the Master Chef Lost the Thanksgiving Turkey and Surprised by Hunger
On this episode of Our American Stories, Stephen Rusiniak shares an awfully awkward Thanksgiving story after being warned by his mother not to be late; Joy Neal Kidney shares the story of two unforgettable Thanksgivings with Bosnian refugees; Steven Reid shares the story about wh ... Show More
38m 16s