A project in Peru aimed at transitioning farmers from coca to cocoa can help boost yields globally with a unique pruning technique, says project facilitator Technoserve.
Chocolate makers are being pushed to join Dominican Republic’s plans to triple cocoa yields by 2027. The nation can become as valuable as Nacional, a prized cocoa variety from Ecuador, says the UNDP.
The chocolate industry should explore longer four-year financing projects for cocoa farmers if it is serious about making the cocoa sector sustainable, says certification body Rainforest Alliance (RA).
Palm oil that is harvested at the right moment, pressed quickly and processed at appropriate temperatures contains insignificant levels of contaminants - if any, says the Italian Union for Sustainable Palm Oil. "This should be the standard for quality...
Exclusive Interview with Mars La Chola General Manager
After less than two years in existence, the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge has disbanded to the dismay of environmentalists who say its member companies were bullied by the Indonesian government into adopting weaker standards.
From Fairtrade to UTZ, Rainforest Alliance to RSPO, the number of third party certification schemes is on the rise. But alongside this proliferation of consumer–facing logos is the growing numbers of companies developing their own sustainable sourcing...
Rice, soy, corn, wheat and palm oil are the “new frontier” of climate action, said Oxfam this week, as it published new data detailing the “massive” environmental impact of the world’s major commodities.
After finding that 12 kids' food products from Nestlé, Barilla, Ferrero and Danone contain high levels of carcinogen 3-MCPD, Italian consumer group Altroconsumo is calling on parents to stop giving products that contain palm oil to children.
Ferrero is to double the amount of Fairtrade cocoa it purchases and will buy Fairtrade sugar for the first time as it targets 100% ‘sustainable' sugar by 2020.
Cocoa producer living income can be increased by gradually introducing large estates in traditionally smallholder areas, says the International Cocoa Organization’s executive director.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has appointed its next full-time president, while Cargill has named a new global head of its cocoa and chocolate businesses.
Chair of the International Cocoa Organization’s (ICCO) panel on fine flavor cocoa discusses why countries are seeking fine flavor status and how it can be won.
Farm efficiency is back at heart of the industry’s sustainability push after Mars’ acquisition of Ecuadorian cocoa plantation Hacienda La Chola, according to Hardman Agribusiness.
An incoming international standard on sustainable cocoa will bring farmers ‘one big step below the poverty-line’ if it remains unchanged, argues a farmers’ group.
Figures from grinders including Cargill, Barry Callebaut, Nestlé and Mondelēz show the volumes of cocoa processed in Europe in the first quarter of this year.
Four of the world’s biggest food companies have moved swiftly to cease trading with Malaysian firm IOI after it fell foul of sustainable palm oil rules, but NGOs say it’s too little too late.
The World Cocoa Foundation’s acting president has defended farmer inclusivity under the industry-backed CocoaAction initiative and says efforts are not limited to yield increases.
Future cocoa demand will be met by a thriving professionalized sector in Latin America as chocolate makers move away from a “structurally blighted” West African market, claims Hardman Agribusiness.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) predicts cocoa coming from commercial plantations will rise from 5% of the world output today to 10% in the next 20 years.
A sugar supply crisis in Europe is almost certain this summer unless the EU acts now to prevent one, the Committee of European Sugar Users (CIUS) has warned.
Chocolate companies outside the top six need to up their games on sustainable cocoa to help bring millions of cocoa farmers in West Africa out of poverty and secure the crop’s future, says Cadbury’s former head of cocoa sourcing.
Mondelēz International‘s cocoa sourcing manager for Asia and Mars’ Vietnam cocoa manager are among the speakers at the 2nd annual Cocoa Revolution conference.
Mondelēz International faces a court case brought by disgruntled employees at its plant in Chicago, half of whom will lose their jobs after the company shifted the factory’s Oreo production to Mexico.
A study by Clavis Insight suggests major retailers in the US and UK are missing on an important sales opportunity to drive Valentine’s chocolate purchases online.
The Illinois-based candy company, Ferrara, names NBA star James Harden the first brand ambassador for its sour gummy line, Trolli, launching Weirdly Awesome campaign across its social media channels.
A civil lawsuit accusing Nestlé, Cargill and ADM of aiding and abetting child slavery on Ivorian cocoa farms has again thwarted attempts to have the case thrown.
Colombian cocoa processor Cacao Pacifico will sell chocolate couvertures made with fine flavor Colombian cocoa in Europe through a partnership with Swiss Global Enterprise.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will publish maps of all its members’ palm oil plantations – with the exception of Malaysia – in the hope closer monitoring will prevent forest fires and peat land destruction. But is this enough?
The chocolate industry must embrace climate-smart agriculture to mitigate the shattering effects of rising temperatures on millions of cocoa farmers in the developing world, says Rainforest Alliance.
The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) says it will not alter its approach to tackling cocoa child labor after a sharp rise in the worst forms of child labor, and is optimistic a $4.5m US government grant and industry commitments will contribute to...
How can companies tighten their global supply chains, future-proof profits against climate change and boost their sustainable credentials for consumers in one go? Information-sharing platform WeFarm promises to do just that.
Mondelēz International is encouraging biscuit makers and other wheat users to follow its approach to sustainable wheat by sourcing closer to factories and limiting pesticide and water use.
Cocoa farmers operate in a chocolate supply chain that perpetuates poverty and bear the bulk of the risk, claims Cacao for Change as it proposes an alternative model.
Chocolate makers can draw on coffee industry grading standards to develop a common quality system for cocoa, says Lutheran World Relief’s manager of coffee and cocoa.
Barry Callebaut has found previously undiscovered cocoa polyphenols as it works with Bremen-based Jacobs University to crack the commodity’s molecular code.
UK palm oil imports were 72% sustainable in 2014 – up from 55% in 2013, according to an annual progress report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Mondelēz International has scaled up its cocoa sustainability program through a partnership with its major supplier Barry Callebaut and has set a long-term goal of professionalizing the cocoa sector.
Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate has launched an initiative for cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire to acquire new trucks through loans that it claims will help farmers to overcome logistical problems.
Chocolate makers must pay double the market price for cocoa farmers to receive a living income, says the CEO of Fairtrade as the organization gears up to review pricing.
