“Group active in Russia”
Milka chocolate bunnies targeted by Ukraine activists
March 25, 2024, 1:14 a.m
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Milka’s chocolate bunny is at least in second place among Germans. This Easter, Ukrainian activists are calling on major supermarket chains to boycott. The US parent company Mondelez continues to be active in the country despite the Russian war of aggression.
Shortly before Easter, Ukrainian activists in Germany are calling on Rewe and Edeka to ban Milka chocolate from their shelves. This should apply until Milka’s US parent company Mondelez withdraws from the Russian market, according to a letter from the Vitsche organization, which is available to the editorial network Germany (RND), to the managing directors of the supermarket giants. Despite promises to reduce operations in Russia, Mondelez continues to operate three factories in the country. The letter should be sent to Rewe and Edeka this Monday.
Vitsche criticizes: “Companies like Mondelez are indirectly financing Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.” The organization expressly praises Rewe and Edeka for removing all products manufactured in Russia from the shelves of their supermarkets shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022. The letter continued: “We count on your support to show Mondelez that morality has a place in business, especially as we consider that Russia continues to commit war crimes in Ukraine.”
On the list of “international sponsors of war”
The Ukrainian government’s National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) added Milka’s parent company Mondelez to its list of “international sponsors of war” last May. In addition to Milka, the food company Mondelez (formerly Kraft Foods), which has its international headquarters in Chicago, also includes brands such as Oreo, Toblerone and Ritz.
According to a list by the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), around 240 million chocolate bunnies are produced for Easter. In the ranking of the most popular rabbits, Milka is in second place with 19 percent behind the Swiss manufacturer Lindt, which 25 percent of Germans prefer to buy. Chocolate bunnies from Kinder/Ferrero are in third place with 13 percent.