George Clooney, a brand ambassador for Nespresso, said he was “surprised and saddened” to learn of child labor allegations facing the coffee giant, according to a report.

A forthcoming investigation from the British documentary program Dispatches claims Nespresso and Starbucks rely on beans picked by young children working long, “grueling” shifts in Guatemala to pick beans for their coffee.

“Honestly I was surprised and saddened to see this story,” Clooney, 58, said in a statement sent to USA TODAY. “Clearly this board and this company still have work to do. And that work will be done.”

The Oscar winner has spent seven years Nespresso’s Sustainability Advisory Board with the expressed goal of improving the conditions of farmers, the outlet reporter. The actor claims to understand the “complex issues regarding farming and child labor” because he grew up working on a tobacco farm in Kentucky since he was 12 years old.

Clooney encouraged Dispatches to continue its reporting on farm conditions in order to provide a “check and balance of good corporate responsibility.” But he still touted the board as a “success” even as the company allegedly sources beans from farms that work kids to the bone.

“I’m enormously proud of the success of their efforts,” he wrote. “They’ve risked their lives trying to rebuild farms in South Sudan and spent a year on the ground helping farmers restore their farms in Puerto Rico after the hurricane. The simple truth is that this program is overwhelmingly positive for coffee farmers around the world.”

Nespresso CEO Guillaume Le Cunff sent his own statement announcing an investigation into what he said where “unacceptable” child labor claims.

“Where there are claims that our high standards are not met, we act immediately,” Le Cunff told USA TODAY. “We’ve launched a thorough investigation to find out which farms were filmed and whether they supply Nespresso. We will not resume purchases of coffee from farms in this area until the investigation is closed.”

Starbucks did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

The Dispatches episode, titled Starbucks & Nespresso: The Truth About Your Coffee,” is scheduled to air in the U.K Monday evening.