Tony's sorry for missing advent chocolate stunt

Self-styled ethical chocolate firm Tony's Chocolonely has apologised for deliberately leaving one of its advent calendar windows empty to highlight inequality in the industry.

The company said it was meant to be "a great conversation starter for change".

However, it was deluged with complaints from parents who said their children were upset by the missing chocolate.

Now the firm has said it is sorry that its move caused "confusion and disappointment".

The Dutch-based company left an empty space behind the window for 8 December, saying it was using its products to "tell the story of the choco industry - an industry unequally divided and choc-full of inequality".

It went on to say that in Ghana and Ivory Coast, at least 1.56 million children worked under illegal conditions because the price being paid for cocoa was too low.

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"Worst still, at least 30,000 adults and children are forced to work. We don't think that's okay," it said in a message on Facebook and Twitter.

To make up for the gap, it added, there were two chocolates in each of the windows for 9 and 24 December, so people were getting 25 chocolates in the 24 windows.

However, the stunt was met with a mixed reaction.

"OH MY GOD! On Tony's Chocolonely advent calendar, today's door is empty to teach you that life's unfair," remarked one consumer.

Another said on the firm's Facebook page: "Causing upset to small children - who don't actually buy their own chocolate, just to prove a point doesn't sit well with me."

Some parents also said it was disruptive for children with neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD and autism.

In response, Tony's said: "We failed to consider the difficulties empty windows can cause for neurodivergent children and adults. We have more to learn in considering how we can make our products as inclusive as possible."

But not all the comments were adverse. One Facebook user said: "In our house, this made a unique impact and was a brilliant conversation starter. Well done for being brave, I think it was a stroke of genius."

While another said: "I think the angry comments are hilarious, the children who are devastated by the loss of one chocolate are exactly those that need a lesson in inequality. First World Problems..."