Sustainable Sourcing

News in brief

General Mills awards grant for sustainable vanilla research

General Mills has awarded a $200,000 grant to researchers at the University of California-Davis to help create a more sustainable vanilla supply.

Cargill sets up dedicated team to accelerate sustainable cocoa agenda

Cargill has appointed a specialist team to drive forward its work on the production and supply of sustainable cocoa.

First UTZ cocoa shipment in US, sustainable cocoa boom expected

Cargill has received the first ever shipment of UTZ cocoa in North America, a move which will be followed by other sustainable cocoa developments in the region, said the certifying...

Special Edition: Alternatives to carbon heavy processes

Ardagh highlights greener processes as crucial for sustainable growth

In recent years there has been an ongoing war of words between industry players from different packaging formats over which has the lightest carbon footprint.

Sustainability of West African cocoa growing questioned

Cocoa farming has been a contributor to deforestation and degradation in West Africa due to limited fertilizer use as well as outdated crop husbandry methods, claim two research groups in...

Nestlé chair child labour comments “at odds” with the company’s commitments, IUF

Comments made by the Nestlé chair that child labour is “almost impossible” to stop, contradicts the company’s commitments to ending child exploitation in Africa, said the IUF, a global trade...

Special Edition: Food Factory Careers

Sustainability skills can give you an edge in the job market

Specific sustainability jobs may be rare in the food industry but gaining environmental expertise can give professionals an edge in an increasingly competitive job market.

Blommer awaits record-breaking sustainable cocoa shipment

Industrial chocolate supplier, Blommer Chocolate, said it is set to receive a record-breaking shipment of cocoa beans containing a large percentage of sustainably farmed and Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, despite...

RSPO calls for faster market uptake of sustainable palm oil

Market uptake of sustainable palm oil will need to accelerate in 2011 in order to keep up with rapidly growing production, claims the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

Policymakers critical for sustainable consumption, roundtable finds

Political leadership is crucial to encouraging more sustainable food consumption, attendees at a Kellogg’s Breakfast Club meeting heard this month, with industry and civil society playing important roles too.

ADM expects higher sustainable cocoa output in 2011

Participation in ADM’s cocoa growing certification programme - Serap - has tripled since its implementation and it has provided almost 49,000 metric tonnes of sustainable cocoa in the period, said...

Cargill looks to tackle child labour in cocoa growing

Cargill said its planned investment of $5m over the next three years in sustainable cocoa initiatives will help address the worst forms of child labour in cocoa growing communities in...

Special Edition: Sustainable packaging

Sustainable packaging - road map or road to nowhere?

Sustainable packaging is a buzzword on the lips of consumers and industry players alike. But what is sustainable packaging and how far has the sector come in developing a road...

News in brief

M&S strives for ‘most sustainable’ title

UK grocer Marks and Spencer has announced a new raft of eco and ethical commitments, in a bid to become the most sustainable retailer by 2015.

Training scheme aiding sustainable choc supply, Cargill

Cocoa bean crop quality and yield is benefiting from a farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast, which is set to be extended to a wider number of farmer cooperatives...

Comment

Time to speed sustainable palm oil supply

Global food giants have vowed to source all their palm oil sustainably by 2015 – but consumer pressure could grease the wheels for more rapid change.

Nestlé and Kraft probe palm oil sources after sustainability claims

The globe’s two biggest food firms, Nestlé and Kraft, have launched internal investigations after a Greenpeace report claimed both purchase palm oil from Indonesian company PT Smart whose parent group...

Call for Ghana cocoa to be removed from US child labor list

Retention of Ghana produced cocoa on the US Department of Labor’s list of goods produced by child or forced labour could hinder efforts to eliminate the practice, claims a senior...

Kraft rolls out sustainable chocolate range

Kraft Foods said its premium dark chocolate range is the first to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, showing it contains cocoa from farms that meet the sustainability standard.

Food insecurity increases US children’s risk of obesity, says study

New research from the American Dietetic Association has found a "paradoxical correlation" between obesity and food insecurity – defined as lack of access to food, or nutritionally adequate food –...

Certified sustainable cocoa source from Ivory Coast opens up

Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate is aiming to have 10,000 tonnes of UTZ-certified cocoa available for the market in 2010, as the first two Ivory Coast cooperatives achieve certification and others...