“At the outset, we would like to state that, as a company, we are strongly against the use of child or forced labor at any of our operations and factory units.
“None of our factories or operations employ people below age of 18 years.
“The factory in this case is not owned or run by Parle Products and is operated by a third-party, sub-contractor. We are, nonetheless, concerned by the allegations and are currently investigating the matter.
“We will be taking concrete action to address the situation as we do not tolerate the exploitation of children at any cost.”
The factory in question – located in Raipur, India – had been raided by the Indian District Task Force (DTF) on Sunday June 16 after India’s largest campaigner for children’s rights received a tip-off that a large number of children were employed there.
The DTF reportedly rescued 26 child laborers aged between 12 and 16, who were earning a mere Rs 5,000-Rs 7.000 ($72-$100) per month for daily 12-hour shifts.