Dr Sentamu said people should not buy non Fair Trade chocolate

Dr John Sentamu said firms such as Nestle should ensure fair conditions for those responsible for growing and farming its cocoa beans.

Nestle Rowntree, which lists Kit Kats and Smarties among its products, is one of York's biggest employers.

The firm said the industry was addressing labour concerns on farms.

A spokesman for Nestle said: "The chocolate industry as a whole has been working to address labour concerns on cocoa farms for several years.

I don't want to pay a very cheap price at the misery of someone else Dr John Sentamu

"While Nestle does not own cocoa farms anywhere in the world, the company strongly believes it is important to ensure cocoa is grown responsibly, without abusive labour practices.

"Nestle has actively participated in industry efforts to address the issues through steps outlined in the Harkin-Engel Protocol (2001) and is a founding partner of the Protocol's International Cocoa Initiative."

Dr Sentamu said he was not asking people to boycott chocolate all together, but wanted people to question where the products they were buying had come from.

He said: "I don't want to pay a very cheap price at the misery of someone else."

He added: "They [Nestle] look after their workers here in York and I am saying to them, why can't you do a similar thing for the workers growing your cocoa beans in those other places?

"It is not an impossible thing to be done.

"Nestle is a very good brand and I want to suggest to them and everybody else that to pay people a fair wage is not a bad thing."