European Cocoa Forum to address food safety and cocoa quality challenges

High-level speakers including Gerard  Manley (ECA Board member, Managing Director and CEO Cocoa, OLAM), Sabine Jülicher (Director Food and Feed Safety and Innovation, DG SANTE, European Commission), Joachim Tretzel (President, SGF International e.V. Industry Association for voluntary self-control in the fruit juice industry), Darin Sukha (Research Fellow/Food Technologist, Cocoa Research Centre, University of the West Indies) and Maria Florencia Williams (Global R&D Manager and Head of Global Sensory, Barry Callebaut) will discuss the main food safety concerns affecting the European Cocoa Industry.

The ECF’s panel will also discuss latest fermentation techniques and how they can optimize cocoa quality and flavor, along with lessons learned from the fruit juice industry about preserving authenticity, quality and CSR compliance – and it will also look at what is best practice to define fine flavor chocolates ‘while ensuring an optimal sensorial experience for consumers'.

Another leading and important theme of the discussion will be a look at the reasons behind setting the current EU Cadmium Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) on chocolate products and the current revision of pesticides MRLs, notably for neonicotinoids, and how these changes will affect the cocoa production chain.

For more information on the ECF, go to eurococoa.com​