Since the late ‘70s, chocolate maker Nestle has had one group of customers so irate with it for allegedly misrepresenting the positives of breast-milk substitutes to uninformed consumers that they’ve been boycotting their products for decades. Now the company has another problem on its hands.

A study commissioned by Nestle found “numerous” violations of its “measures to combat child labor in the Ivory Coast cocoa industry,” according to Bloomberg.

The Fair Labor Association’s report found that “four-fifths of (Nestle’s) cocoa comes from channels for which information on labor is opaque.” In response, the company hosted a webcast in which it outlined its cocoa plan, including “new monitoring programs in two cooperatives this year and in 30 by 2016.”

“The use of child labor in our cocoa supply goes against everything we stand for,” Jose Lopez, Nestle’s head of operations, stated on the webcast. “You can be here talking about child labor but if there’s no school, it’s not going to work.”Continue reading...

Starbucks admits mistakes in UK, where uniform store design has provoked an anti-homogenization backlash, and announces another brand overhaul. [Telegraph]

Mad Men, 30 Rock top US television's Emmys. [LA Times]

Interbrand's Best Global Brands 2009 shows recession's impact, especially on finance and automotive. [NY Times]

Yahoo! prepares to announce new ad campaign Tuesday, putting the "Y" in "You." [paidContent]

Disney, Marvel encounter copyright challenge from heirs of "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" creator Jack Kirby. [NY Times]

Katie Couric rides out rumors and skepticism at CBS Evening News, announces new web series, "@katiecouric." [NY Times]

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British oil trader Trafigura dumped contaminated waste in the Ivory Coast, with 12 known deaths to date, then spent three years denying claims and threatening critics with defamation suits. [Guardian]

Environmental advocates pressure household product producers into disclosing chemicals in products. [NY Times]

Obama struggles to reframe the US national discourse: This is not about race. [WaPo]

Spanish retail chain Zara finally moves to sell clothes online. [Times of London]

No more corporate jet use at Citi. Unless you have a really good reason and a note from Vikram Pandit. [Times of London]

Rolls Royce introduces an economy vehicle for consumers new to the brand, retailing at $338,000. [Bloomberg]

Michelin engages social media to tout their 2010 guide, playing up the mystery of their "famously anonymous inspector" on website, ads, and Twitter. [NY Times]

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