At the end of 2023, Colombian sustainable brand Chocolate Cordillera announced that 106 female cocoa farmers from Urabá Antioquia had completed the first module of its ATENEA sustainability program, giving some the confidence to become fully independent...
The Rainforest Alliance certification platform has called for more support for smallholder cocoa farmers to ensure they are not unintentionally excluded from the EU market under the new deforestation regulations.
Achieving sustainable growth in the cocoa sector will be at the forefront of those taking part or visiting Amsterdam Cocoa Week in February where two important conferences are back-to-back and under one roof.
The World Cocoa Foundation’s Partnership Meeting promises two days of busy high-level discussions when leading industry figures gather in Amsterdam from 6 to 7 February. ConfectioneryNews is the official media partner and shall be reporting live from...
Since the World Cocoa Foundation’s last Partnership Meeting in Brussels at the end of 2022, the organisation has undergone significant internal changes – but its mission remains the same – to ‘create a thriving and equitable cocoa sector.’ After skipping...
Agrifood research recognises Europe’s efforts to boost supply chain traceability with robust regulations and technological advancements, yet more can be done to enhance its capabilities.
The European Union, the largest market for cocoa from West Africa, will begin implementing its new regulation this year on deforestation-free products that require companies selling commodities, including cocoa, to prove they have not caused deforestation...
ConfectioneryNews will be presenting a special live webinar on Tuesday 23 January 24 at 17:00Paris / 10:00AM Chicago to discuss the new requirements for market access for cocoa and chocolate suppliers into the European Union.
Attempting to comply with the numerous levels of certification imposed on farmers, suppliers, and producers in terms of cost and bureaucracy has been described as ‘administration hell’ by one cocoa cooperative director, who spends up to 80% of his time...
As many know, the cocoa industry is sometimes opaque and complex. Still, confessed chocolate-lover Jon Trask, who is also CEO of Dimitra, says his company's recently developed Blockchain Deforestation Platform could provide a solution to help farmers...
The Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) has published its report on the results from 15 value chain projects in eight countries, generating insights into approaches to tackle the various socio-economic and environmental sustainability challenges...
Food sustainability actions need to transition away from future aims to real-world change processes to help the global food system reach its targets, new research suggests.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), in collaboration with IDH and key government officials, highlighted significant strides in sustainable forest conservation efforts from the chocolate industry and the success of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI),...
Large chocolate and cocoa companies, including multinationals including Mars, Ferrero, Mondelēz, Hershey, Nestlé, and traders like Barry Callebaut and Cargill, are not paying prices that allow cocoa farmers to earn a living. This is the conclusion of...
As consumers become increasingly wary of sugar content, CPG companies are meeting the demand for zero-sugar products with the help of natural sweeteners, a trend set to gain momentum in the US as regulators and scientists push for reductions.
Luker Chocolate is celebrating the completion of The Cacao Effect, a five-year initiative that the company said positively impacted over 6,000 rural families in Colombia. The closing event was held on 24 November 2023 in Bogotá, Colombia, and showcased...
Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest supplier of cocoa and chocolate, says it ‘remains steadfast in its advocacy of policies to make sustainable chocolate the norm as it releases its seventh Forever Chocolate progress report (covering fiscal year 2022-23).
To mark the opening of COP28, the UN Climate Conference (30 November to Tues 12 December 2023), held this year in Dubai, the Rainforest Alliance, calls for substantial funding increase from governments, financial institutions, and private sector in support...
The food and beverage industry is inherently linked to the climate crisis, responsible for at least a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. The COP28 summit, held this year in Dubai, UAE, focuses more significantly on food than in previous years.
The cocoa and chocolate making industry has been warned that cocoa stocks languishing in EU warehouses during the 18-month transition period leading up to the European Union’s Deforestation law that kicks in at the end of December 2024 may have to be...
Increased scrutiny of environmental sustainability claims by regulators and competitors has many brands turning to third-party certifications to reassure consumers about claims’ veracity and to protect against litigation – but recent movements in the...
‘Aligning for Global Action’ is the theme for The World Cocoa Foundation’s 2024 Partnership Meeting, the leading global industry event in sustainable cocoa, which this year takes place in the Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange) in Amsterdam from 6...
The Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI) is set to present updates on the industry’s commitment to eliminate deforestation and restore degraded forests at COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will be held this year in Dubai from 30...
Barry Callebaut has been ranked in the 1st percentile in the management of ESG risks in both the Food Product and Packaged Food companies by Morningstar Sustainalytics.
Global organisation Fairtrade is working to ensure farmers receive just and equitable working conditions. A new campaign, led by two jurisdictions, is reasserting these efforts.
With enforcement of a new deforestation law on the horizon, stakeholders along the food supply chain and working to ensure compliance. We look at the new tools and services being developed that promise enhanced traceability and due diligence.
The Dutch capital and largest cocoa port in the world is preparing to celebrate cocoa and chocolate during February by becoming an important hub for business and for innovative thinking on the sustainability of the cocoa value chains.
The VOICE network, publishers of the influential Cocoa Barometer, which calls to account the chocolate industry on child labour and other sustainability issues, has issued a statement following reports in ConfectioneryNews and other media, on allegations...
Fairtrade International has announced a new partnership with Satelligence to scale up satellite monitoring of forested areas and farms to its globally certified cocoa and coffee producer organisations to meet new EU regulations.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has put a call-out for bids to host the 3rd edition of the International Symposium on Cocoa Research (ISCR).
Indigenous rights must be ‘at the centre’ of new EU policies looking to stamp out environmental and human rights violations from food supply chains, argues indigenous advocate Edson Krenak from NGO Cultural Survival.
The European Union has urged Cote d’Ivoire to ramp up its efforts regarding the traceability of its cocoa if the country is going to meet the criteria of the EU deforestation law that comes into effect in January 2025.
Consumer Reports (CR), a US independent, non-profit member organisation, has doubled down on its campaign against lead and cadmium in chocolate and urges changes after a new survey finds a third of products contain ‘concerning’ levels of heavy metals.
IFIS Sustainability a cutting-edge, free Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) database that curates the latest scientific research at the intersection of food and sustainability, has launched a new digital tool providing food innovators access to the latest...
Food and beverage companies adopting more sustainable business practices, including more environmentally-friendly packaging and reducing emissions across their supply chain, are eager to share successes with consumers – but doing so can, and has, landed...
The UK Government has accepted a recommended legal THC limit for CBD products in an ‘historic’ move that aims to bring some legal clarity to the industry, but an expert warns there are muddy waters yet to be cleared.
California’s Food Safety Act (AB 418) bans the inclusion of four food additives—propyl paraben, brominated vegetable oil, Red Dye No. 3 and potassium bromate—in food and beverages, a landmark state-wide law highlighting the potentially widening gap between...
Off the back of Tony's Chocolonely’s warning that the new cocoa farmgate price is still too low, other chocolate brands and global organisations call for an end to corporate greed and push for equity.
Amid rising farmgate prices yet insufficient Living Income Reference Prices (LIRP), cocoa companies turn to communication, connection and collaboration throughout the sector to advocate better wages for farmers.
Law provides a framework to investigate the use of forced labour in companies’ supply chains. All goods made using forced labour to be halted at EU borders and withdrawn from the market.
John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association (NCA), has sent an email to Robert M. Califf, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating the new California Food Safety Act ‘undermines consumer trust and creates...
Five million, mainly small-scale farmers produce 75% of the world’s cocoa, and earning a living income has become the key objective for the cocoa sector. Still, despite various initiatives, it hasn’t changed core business practices so far. According to...
Cocoa production is decisively linked with women, and sustainable value chains are, too. However, how will their roles differ with the upcoming EU legislation on deforestation, and in a broader issue, will it threaten cocoa and chocolate exporters?
French cocoa supplier the Touton Group said it is adjusting its business strategy to meet upcoming sustainability and compliance requirements with a fresh investment in climate-friendly solutions and a commitment to strengthen its collaboration with partner...
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act on Oct. 7, 2023. The statewide legislation, the first of its kind in the US, “will prohibit any food product manufactured, sold, delivered, distributed, held or offered for sale in...
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) marked half a century of commitment to sustainable growth in the cocoa sector with a special celebration held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, where it is now headquartered.
The European single market was established 30 years ago with the freedom of movement of goods, which initially boosted foreign trade for Germany’s confectionery industry – but a lack of clarity is now threatening its very future, the German Confectionery...
The Women in Cocoa & Chocolate Network (WINCC) has announced an especially convened online session with Colombia’s Cordillera Chocolate to explore how the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) could provide opportunities for women empowerment...
The family-owned company has been processing cocoa beans into cocoa mass, butter, and powder at its own exclusively organic plant in Winterthur, Switzerland, since June 2022 and says an assessment carried out this month shows there have been no pesticide...
