Giving cocoa farming cooperatives shares in chocolate firms would improve livelihoods and encourage them to boost yields and quality, while giving chocolate manufacturers greater control of their supply chain, says Divine Chocolate.
The amount of cocoa processed in Europe dropped 1% in the second quarter falling below traders’ expectations, but it's too soon to tell if chocolate demand is sliding.
Industry voices discuss whether raising suggested retail prices for chocolate could incentivise cocoa farmers to invest in farms, bring them out of poverty and keep the next generation growing cocoa.
The FAO Food Price Index was down for a third consecutive month in June, as good supply and improved global production prospects for wheat, maize and palm oil lowered prices.
ConfectioneryNews asks industry leaders if cocoa production will gradually move closer to the burgeoning chocolate markets of China and Brazil or whether West Africa will always be the king of cocoa.
Chocolate companies must know what truly constitutes cocoa child labor to be able to tackle the issue, according to the International Cocoa Initiative, which has unveiled a new strategy to combat the problem.
Industry fortune-telling of a large cocoa shortfall in 2020 was a shrewd way to secure supply at low prices, but the latest deficit forecasts are nowhere near as gloomy.
Futures exchange company CME Group has made a “strong commitment” in the cocoa market and plans a new contract to rival the IntercontinentalExchange Group (ICE).
Fairtrade certified cocoa farmers spend 36% of their premiums on increasing productivity and cocoa quality – far above Fairtrade International’s suggested 25% minimum, a report from the organization reveals.
Exploring the mechanisms controlling acetate formation during cocoa fermentation may help identify the best starter cultures to optimize flavor attributes, according to a team of scientists supported by Nestlé.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has estimated a cocoa surplus for the current crop year, but said the market would return to a small deficit next year.
Fair Trade USA and UTZ Certified are piloting a collaborative cocoa certification scheme that they say will reduce costs for farmers looking to get dual certification.
Manufacturers can increase the price of chocolate without fear of putting off consumers thus ensuring cocoa farmers are fairly paid, according to executive director of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).
Certifiers UTZ says a redraft of its code of conduct focuses on ‘prevention’ and monitoring of child labor on farms as well as including new measures around climate change.
Sustainable palm oil trader GreenPalm will use this year’s European Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Summit as a platform to urge key players in the EU palm oil industry to galvanise shared knowledge and promote sustainable sourcing.
By Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified,
Chocolate could become a small and expensive niche product unless we all do more to help cocoa farmers escape poverty, writes UTZ Certified executive director Han De Groot.
UTZ Certified has begun a three-year initiative to develop a certified sustainable hazelnut supply in Turkey, which accounts for 70% of global production.
European Sugar Users (CIUS) has called on the European Commission to implement temporary market measures should sugar end stocks fall below a certain threshold amid uncertainly in the EU sugar supply.
The US National Confectioners Association (NCA) has hit out at claims from the American Sugar Alliance that the confectionery industry is dominated by big players and is crying poor about sugar prices.
Chocolate makers may struggle to guarantee their entire cocoa supply comes from a sustainable source by 2020 targets, according to auditing service Intertek.
Sugar has been linked to everything from heart disease to obesity and cancers in recent months. But is it as bad as all that? Our free-to-attend debate aims to tackle the key questions in the sugar debate. Have you registered yet?
NGO STOP THE TRAFFIK has accused Mondelēz International of lagging behind its rivals by attempting to self-regulate child trafficking in the cocoa sector.
The Committee of European Sugar Users (CIUS) has called on EU member states and the Commission to take adequate measures to avoid sugar shortages and guarantee a sufficient stock level at the end of this business year.
Dispatches from State of the Industry Conference in Miami
Chocolate makers are well prepared for current cocoa deficit forecasts and will only be forced to raise prices if other inputs such transportation become costlier along with cocoa, according to the National Confectioners Association (NCA).
The chocolate industry should embrace certification to improve the livelihoods of farmers or risk losing a generation of cocoa growers, according to the head of a Fairtrade cocoa cooperative in the Ivory Coast.
Godiva owner Yildiz Holding has made one of its first social investments in sustainable cocoa by sponsoring Cémoi, Blommer Chocolate and Delfi’s Processors Alliance for Cocoa Traceability and Sustainability (PACTS) program.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has reiterated its cocoa deficit forecast for the 2012/13 season after a public leak led the market to erroneously believe the shortfall was greater than expected.
The FAO wants to improve standards across the world’s genebanks to improve the conservation of crop diversity which in turn means securing resilient global food supplies.
Certification is one of the most potent tools for chocolate makers to avoid serious cocoa shortages and to improve the lives of farmers, according to the burgeoning certified cocoa organization, UTZ Certified.
The European Commission has agreed new rules to curb speculation in food commodities, in order to avoid a repeat of the global food price spikes seen in 2008.
Cocoa grinds are up in Europe and the chocolate market is set to follow, but other markets are shining more brightly and will continue to do so, according to Euromonitor.
A sustainable cocoa supply chain is reliant on women, who provide a large portion of the labor and often invest earnings on items that benefit their community, says Mars Chocolate in a response to harsh criticism.
Hershey has committed to purchasing 100% traceable and sustainably-sourced palm oil by the end of 2014. Greenpeace has welcomed the move, but has reservations about timelines and terminology.
The global cocoa deficit for the 2012/13 crop year was worse than previously expected, according to revised figures from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), which has tripled its estimate.
Simply paying African cocoa growers more will not incentivize them to move away from the encroaching, more lucrative industries of palm and rubber, says Barry Callebaut.
The industry needs to think how farmers can be incentivized to grow organic cocoa because premiums do not currently compensate the productivity shortfalls from not using pesticides and fertilizer, according to Tradin Organic’s cocoa director.
Sustainable supple chain adviser Solidaridad demonstrates the impact unsustainable cocoa has on farmers' lives in a new multimedia art exhibition in the Netherlands.
Many confectioners are sidestepping responsibilities on sustainable palm oil by only ensuring products meet ‘inadequate’ RSPO standards, according to Greenpeace.
