Mondelēz launches Green & Black’s bars with Cocoa Life Program label
The range remains “true” to the brand’s founding principles, according to Mondelēz’s spokesperson, Richard Buino.
“‘Green’, which symbolizes our commitment to always sourcing ethical cocoa, and ‘Black’, which stands for our high quality and the delicious intensity of our chocolate,” he said.
The bars are available in 70% dark chocolate, 70% dark chocolate with salted caramel, 70% with raspberry & hazelnut, 70% with roasted almonds, 70% with sea salt, milk chocolate with sea salt, and milk chocolate with salted caramel.
Each of 3.17oz bars retails for $5, and is available on the brand’s website as well as other online retailers.
Why change the sustainability label?
Buino told ConfectioneryNews that the new line is made from cocoa that has been “ethically sourced through Cocoa Life, a holistic, third party-verified cocoa sustainability program.”
In February 2015, the company announced that certification body FLOCERT will join Harvard University in verifying the chocolate firm’s cocoa sustainability program. But this site reported last month that Mondelēz has appointed IPSOS to measure the impact.
The ConfectioneryNews correspondent noticed that the new Green & Black’s bars adopted Cocoa Life Program label instead of the Fairtrade International label, as it did with its organic bars.
The Cadbury owner did not immediately respond why it decided to change the sustainability label on Green & Black’s packaging. But Buino later said in a phone call that the decision is meant to be aligned with Mondelēz’s business strategy in Europe, and confirmed the organic offerings will continue to bear the Fairtrade label.
“The new line in the US features the Cocoa Life logo, which follows suit for some of our other brands in Europe, such as Côte d'Or and Marabou. Our long term ambition is to have all of our cocoa sustainably sourced, mainly via Cocoa Life,” he added.
Mondelēz made a similar move recently by adding Cocoa Life Program label to the Cadbury brand in the UK and Ireland.
