Palm oil and sustainability disagreements have caused ASEAN-EU trade relations to sour even further over the past year with a potential trade war on the line, even as the UK has moved to soften its stance to cement better ASEAN relations post-Brexit.
Announced earlier in the year, The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre's (DMCC) Cacao Centre is set to launch in summer with plans to make the Emirati city a global hub for trade in cocoa beans.
Cocoa prices continue to struggle, despite an increase in grindings reported in North America and Southeast Asia and is still ‘the worst performing commodity of the year,’ according to some analysts.
Over the past three decades, the rate of deforestation around the world has noticeably declined. This comes against an ever-increasing societal pressure from consumers and governments for more sustainable food products, which applies to everything from...
In a recently released new action plan, the global food manufacturer said workers in the palm oil industry - in particular migrant workers - are vulnerable to labour rights abuses, including forced labour.
Nutella manufacturer Ferrero has reiterated its commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil that is 100% RSPO certified and segregated, and traceable to farms, the Italian confectionery group said in its Palm Oil Progress report for 2020.
The Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) has announced it is postponing its conference that was due to take place from 4 to 5 November this year in Singapore due to the ongoing global health emergency following the COVID-19 outbreak.
The network also asks EU to step in and support cocoa farmers with human rights and environmental rights due diligence regulations, as Conseil du Café-Cacao says it will reimburse exporters affected by Living Income Differential payments.
Olam International, the global food and agri-business with cocoa now under its Olam Food Ingredients (OFI) division, has released its 2020 Annual Report, claiming to have met its target for 100% traceability of its directly sourced cocoa.
Increased output from Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, along with decline in European cocoa bean usage due to the resurgence of COVID-19 infections means a production surplus projected in the 2020-21 season, with cocoa futures on the commodities market underperforming...
The environmental NGO says many certification schemes – covering palm, soy, and timber – enable ‘destructive business to continue as usual’. Palm Oil Monitor has fought back, questioning Greenpeace’s motives: ‘Make no mistake, this is an attack on palm...
Malaysian palm oil is expected to see a rise in demand from India and China this year as economies gradually open up and local stocks diminish, but the industry must improve logistics and digital reach to effectively capitalise, according to industry...
In its latest Monthly Cocoa Market Report, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has revealed that anticipations of a production surplus compounded with low levels of demand have contributed to the decline in prices in cocoa from January 2021 on...
In its latest update, the ICCO’s (International Cocoa Organization) assessment of European cocoa bean stocks for the 2019/20 season held in the continent’s warehouses reveals a reduction of 1.5% (down by 11,734 tonnes), compared with the previous season.
Experts have suggested that the palm oil industry and food firms manufacturing palm oil-containing products use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify the right consumer segments and methods to sway sentiment back in their favour.
Cote d’Ivoire has announced it has appointed a senor corporate director from Mars Wrigley to help implement the $400 a tonne Living Income Differential (LID) scheme to increase farmer income and introduced by the country in a joint partnership with Ghana...
Germany’s confectionery industry is playing a leading role in the use of sustainable palm oil in its products, claims the main body representing its sweet manufacturers.
The palm oil industry in Malaysia needs to prepare itself for an uncertain year ahead with expected price volatility, production decrease and policy changes in the west, with the government attempting to shift to more value-added products in hopes of...
Le Conseil du Café Cacao (CCC), Cote d'Ivoire’s cocoa regulatory board, has suspended registering cooperatives’ beans in order to reduce the amount of cocoa stockpiled at ports because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cote d’Ivoire has announced it has lifted its suspension on cocoa sustainability schemes run by Hershey, in the latest twist in the ‘cheap beans’ row that has threatened to jeopardise the delicate relationship between the big chocolate companies and cocoa-growing...
Sales of Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa crop are the worst in decades, industry sources say, as COVID-19 drives down global demand for chocolate and the controversial Living Income Differential (LID) increases the price of its, and neighbouring Ghana’s, cocoa...
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have carried out their threat to cancel Hershey’s cocoa sustainability schemes in their countries, accusing the US giant of trying to avoid paying the cocoa Living Income Differential (LID) premium aimed at combating farmer poverty...
Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producing country, has called the move by Hershey to reportedly buy 30,000 tonnes of cheap beans from the ICE New York futures exchange an attempt to derail plans for the Living Income Differential (LID) set up...
Hershey has allegedly bought up to 30,000 tonnes of cocoa from futures exchange ICE in a bid to avoid paying the extra Living Income Differential (LID) set up by Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire that includes an added price premium of $400 per tonne on their cocoa,...
Cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire are set to earn higher prices for their beans, as ice cream icon Ben & Jerry’s pledges to pay more to provide living incomes for cocoa farmers.
The man behind Australian sugar-free candies firm Sugarless Confectionery Jacques Aubry has detailed how he plans to expand in Singapore, and launch in new markets including Canada and Zambia.
Barry Callebaut Group said sales volumes have bounced back in the final quarter of 2020, showing a recovery of 4.3%, as the company anticipated, earlier in the year.
The Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) has launched its first Cocoa Trading Programme in a bid to attract new recruits into the region’s burgeoning industry.
The Ghana Cocoa Awards has announced a shortlist of 82 nominees for its ceremony, which will take place on Saturday 14 November at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.
Marc Donaldson, Executive Director of the Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA), follows up from a series of webinars held by the FHA and Saladplate on the outlook for the sector in general with an exclusive interview on how the industry is dealing with the...
Cocoa grinding figures across Europe, the indicator of the demand for cocoa for chocolate and confectionery production, declined in the 3rd quarter of 2020 by 4.7% on the same period the previous year, the European Cocoa Organization (ECA) reports.
The Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA), the leading Cocoa Association in Asia for both cocoa and chocolate companies, is hosting a live forum - Will Cocoa Demand Grind to a Halt? - on October 16, 16:00 Singapore time.
Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s largest cocoa producers, have hiked up their minimum price guarantee given to farmers by 21% for the 2020-2021 growing season that starts in October, and has support of major chocolate companies including Mars Wrigley.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has led the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) to halve its forecast for the expected global cocoa surplus in the 2019/20 season as demand for beans from chocolate manufactures slows.
Neighbors set-up a new joint body to improve coordination in research, price setting and the fight against child labour in their respective cocoa industries, the Ivorian government has revealed.
Global agri-food company’s annual report highlights team members’ agility and perseverance while helping customers and communities navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palm oil trade between Malaysia and India has moved back on track with the latter running low on local stock and the former relaxing export tariffs as both countries move to repair a trade relationship wrecked by previous political clashing.
Ghana is the world’s second-biggest cocoa producer, after its West African neighbour, Cote d’Ivoire. Its main growing season runs from October to September, and while output may increase - a glut in the global market has raised wider concerns about lower...
Global food and agri-business, Olam Group, has reported strong results for the first half of 2020 and claimed to make good progress on its Strategic Plan (2019-2024) and Re-organisation Plan announced in January 2020.
A new poll published by Reuters of London on cocoa futures has forecast cocoa would cost 10% less at the end of the year because of rising production and a hit to demand from the coronavirus crisis.
HIM & MCA Insight has announced a new name and branding as it launches a new analytics and data visualisation solution under its data platform Lumina Intelligence.
The coronavirus pandemic is having a negative impact on cocoa grinding, the indicator of the demand for cocoa for chocolate and confectionery production, said the Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI).
