Moo Chews ditches Gloriavale factory and seeks new manufacturer

Sunday, 11 April 2021

The Gloriavale Christian Community has lost the right to manufacture Moo Chews, a milkpowder-based snack for children.

The Gloriavale Christian Community has lost a contract to make Moo Chews snacks for children following questions about its employment practices.

Moo Chews NZ announced on its Facebook page that it was looking for a new manufacturer of the milkpowder-based tablets previously made at a Gloriavale factory on the West Coast.

After Stuff revealed Gloriavale’s link to the product, two distributors refused to handle the snacks, and Moo Chews NZ said it had suspended manufacturing at the community’s factory “until we can be totally satisfied with their employment practices”.

The isolated West Coast Christian community of Gloriavale has set itself apart from the rest of society for more than 50 years.

It now says it has removed the Gloriavale company’s “right to manufacture” and is looking for another manufacturer.

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Moo Chews’ website used to list more than 100 New Zealand stockists, mostly pharmacies and supermarkets, and also sells the products online.

Moo Chews did not respond when asked if it had uncovered any problems with conditions at the Gloriavale facility, and the phone number on the Moo Chews website has a recorded message saying voicemails are not checked and have been blocked.

However, Moo Chews said on its Facebook page: “The Moo Chews brand is all about children and family values. Moo Chews promotes responsibility and values good character.

The registered office of Moo Chews NZ Ltd is at 148 Victoria St, Christchurch.

“We do not condone forced labour or exploitation of people, and we do not support any supplier who condones these practices.”

The loss of the contract is the latest blow for Gloriavale which is facing scrutiny from multiple Government agencies over allegations of child abuse, and concerns about treatment of community members working in various businesses including dairy farming, Pure Vitality deer velvet and skincare products, and Forest Gold Honey.

The Labour Inspectorate has been investigating Gloriavale’s use of volunteer labour, and it has sought an opinion from the Crown Law office on how to proceed.

Moo Chews milk bites and Pure Vitality products both have FernMark licences, a government endorsement of exporters that requires holders be of good character and repute.

A challenge to leadership of the West Coast Christian group is also the subject of civil court action launched by former community members.

Gloriavale company Alpine Health Manufacturing had made the Moo Chews milk bites for about 18 months, but it did not respond when asked to comment on the loss of the contract.

Following questions from customers on Facebook, Moo Chews NZ said it was not owned by Gloriavale, but it did not answer when Stuff asked whether it had ties to any business entities associated with Gloriavale.

According to the New Zealand Companies Office, Moo Chews NZ Ltd is half-owned by M & H Trustee Ten Ltd and directors Suzanne Merriman and Fergal O’Gara are principals of West Coast accounting firm Marshall & Heaphy.

The remaining shares are owned by holding company Donoratica Services. Its sole director is Oliver Roberts, a partner with law firm Duncan Cotterill, whose offices at 148 Victoria St, Christchurch are at the same address as that listed as the registered office of Moo Chews NZ Ltd.

Merriman is the sole director of Moo Chews NZ, and she and the other two holding company directors did not reply to emailed questions about the reasons for cancelling the contract with Alpine Health Manufacturing.

Some customers posting on Facebook said they would no longer buy Moo Chews if they were made at Gloriavale, with one commenting “Count us out! If Gloriavale is in,” while others said they would buy the product regardless of where they were made.

Both the distributors who pulled out of handling Moo Chews said they had been unaware Gloriavale was involved in their production and were uncomfortable with the community’s values and treatment of its members.

World Vision has been actively promoting legislation which would force New Zealand companies to be more transparent about their supply chains to ensure they do not involve modern slavery, child labour, or forced labour where people are not properly paid and worked in dangerous conditions

New Zealand director of World Vision Grant Bayldon said Kiwi consumers cared about these issues, and there was currently no requirement for businesses to make even the most basic checks of who was making their products and how they were treated.

He said the legislation proposed would not allow businesses to hide behind shelf companies.

“There’s no way just splitting things up into shelf companies gets them off the hook.”

Bayldon said companies would not specifically have to say who was making a product, but they would have to make a statement that they had reviewed their supply chains, and what they had found.

“We’re calling on the Government to create a central register for that information, and companies would most often also put that on their own websites and make it available to their own customers as well.”