Hershey has become the latest chocolate company to support increased incomes for cocoa farming households in Cote d’Ivoire with the launch of its Income Accelerator programme that will facilitate the provision of cash transfers (CTs) and investments in...
The plant-based sector remains an enormous long-term growth opportunity, though investor retrenchment will continue in the short term, investors told the recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam.
The European Parliament has formally adopted a new law to fight global deforestation with cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal printed paper products and cattle covered by the new rules, which obliges companies to ensure products sold...
Cocoa production in Colombia has increased by over 60% in the past 12 years and according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), in 2020, Colombia ranked 10th in the world in terms of annual cocoa production.
As reported in CN earlier this month, Amsterdam’s Chocoa Conference will now take place from 7 to 11 February 2024 in cooperation with the World Cocoa Foundation’s Partnership Meeting, which will run from 6 to 7 February in the same venue (Beurs van Berlage)...
The Cocoa Coalition, a multi-stakeholder initiative set up to prevent and address child labour and forced labour in the cocoa sector, has released a new position paper supporting the objectives of the proposed EU Regulation on Prohibiting Products Made...
The West African country is the world’s largest cocoa grower, but sustainability problems persist despite numerous government and industry interventions, as highlighted by two recent reports.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has announced its next Partnership Meeting will take place in Amsterdam at the Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange) from 6 to 7 February 2024, immediately followed by the CHOCOA conference, which will take place in the...
While many companies claim ‘100% sustainably sourced cocoa’ on their chocolate bars, these sustainability claims cannot be ‘ necessarily’ trusted,' according to the latest ‘Chocolate Scorecard’ that has analysed companies selling chocolate around...
Launched in October 2018 at the World Cocoa Foundation’s (WCF) Partnership Meeting in São Paulo, CocoaAction Brasil is coming to the end of its initial five-year cycle. The recent publication of an Impact Report reveals how it has helped cocoa regain...
The long-term agreement with Nestlé will include payments for ecosystem services (PES) to more than 6,000 farmers covering 11,500 hectares of agroforestry in Côte d’Ivoire. The implementation of the project is already underway, with three cooperatives...
Does the legislation have legs or is it just for optics? Stakeholders agree the bills are a step in a positive direction, but what impact they will have, if any, is yet to be seen.
CFI 2.0 expected to prioritise a national traceability system in direct and indirect supply chains to counter deforestation caused by cocoa growing in West Africa, when the announcement is made in May 2023.
Strong consumer demand for affordable, sustainable products will drive the Fairtrade market in 2023, the organisation said after a successful awareness campaign in the UK brought ethically sourced products, such as chocolate, bananas and coffee, into...
Archila comes to Fairtrade America with more than 15 years of experience working in a range of industries, from natural food to e-commerce retail and consumer electronics.
Empty supermarket shelves and stock shortages are becoming increasingly common in the UK, but the Fairtrade Foundation has issued a warning that everyday essentials including cocoa, bananas and coffee could be at risk of becoming ‘endangered’ due to climate...
Thirty years on from the establishment of the EU internal trading market, the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has renewed its call for greater EU focus on ensuring harmonised legal standards, including product labelling.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced draft labelling guidelines for plant-based alternatives to milk — such as soy or almond products — to clarify how they differ in nutrition from the traditional dairy drink.
Fairtrade and the International Trade Centre (ITC), the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, have announced an expanded partnership aimed at helping farmers and agricultural workers to diversify and access new markets.
With more than 400 products recently being removed from the FSA’s public list of CBD novel food applications, the retail market should be in the midst of major change, but what should be happening and what is happening are two different discussions in...
New trade deals with Australia and New Zealand are expected to boost the UK economy by £2.3 billion and £800 million respectively – according to the Department for International Trade, Department for Business and Trade,
Barry Callebaut Group has announced a major breakthrough in America after it has established a qualified health claim with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stating that high-flavanol cocoa powder may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Confectionery giant has been fined £12,000 ($14,500) by US federal workplace authorities after two workers at one of its factories fell into a vat of chocolate and had to be rescued.
Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa regulator, Conseil du Café Cacao (CCC), has initiated a scheme to distribute electronic cards to cocoa farmers to help track beans from farms to their export ports and ensure the growers are paid a guaranteed price for their produce.
Tony’s Open Chain, an initiative by Tony’s Chocolonely that invites other chocolate manufacturers to ramp up sustainability efforts in their own supply chains, has announced it is partnering with chocolate processor Baronie & Cémoi.
The usual foe of Salmonella spp. in chocolate reared its head again in 2022, causing two notable outbreaks. So what lessons can we take from this to ensure safer food in the future?
A new study published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters into the transparency and traceability of cocoa supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer, claims that less than 45% of cocoa from the country can...
Pecan Deluxe Candy Europe has overcome many of the impediments thrown up by the UK leaving the European Union by finding innovative ways to keep trade flowing between the two entities.
A political agreement has been reached on the European Union’s due diligence legislation, and sustainable palm oil organisation Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is supportive. Yet challenges and risks exist, explains Ruben Brunsveld, deputy director...
In a statement, Fairtrade said: ‘Risk assessment and collaboration with farmers and workers are cornerstones of sustainable supply chains and essential for evolving due diligence requirements’.
Consumer Reports, the independent, non-profit member organisation that allegedly tested and discovered harmful levels of cadmium and other harmful heavy metals in some chocolate products, has urged the producers to commit by Valentine's Day to reduce...
Chocolate and cocoa supplier Blommer has upped its sustainability strategy by announcing a new partnership with Satelligence, a world leader in geospatial sustainability.
Gary Lewis, President of NEODA and Chief Commercial Officer for KTC Edibles, takes a closer look at sustainability in the oils and fat industry, exploring some of the challenges preventing progress, as well as the positive trends.
In December, the EU provisionally agreed on a new regulation to ensure that supply chains are free from processes and products that cause deforestation, in an already volatile period, will the new legislation place more pressure on sustainability in the...
Cargill’s commitment to cocoa sustainability stretches back to 2000, when it began offering seminars to cocoa farmers. Kate Clancy has been with Cargill and working in sustainability since 2011, taking up her recent position of Group Sustainability Director,...
Despite numerous government and industry pledges to reduce deforestation in Ghana, forest loss in the West African country remains high, claims Mighty Earth.
Be it a feasible game plan or just a pipedream, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is determined to make good on its pledge to eradicate hunger in Africa by 2030 by mobilising political support ahead of the African Food Summit.
Dutch ethical brand Tony’s Chocolonely claims its unique sourcing model has substantially reduces child labour in its cocoa supply chain – and has called for other companies to up their game.
With new European Union (EU) packaging rules on the horizon, the bakery and snacks sectors are gearing up to address packaging requirements and waste management policies that better reflect market and environmental needs.
Ten percent of imported honey samples recently assessed by FDA were found to be adulterated with undeclared added sweeteners, demonstrating a need for continued testing to help prevent distribution of noncompliant products in the U.S. market, the agency...
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) has issued a statement on the findings of a consumer report released in the United States that claims to have found dangerous amounts of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in chocolate from popular brands including...
Chocolate and cocoa supplier Barry Callebaut Group says it welcomes the swift negotiation on the European Union’s (EU) Regulation on deforestation-free products aiming to minimize EU-driven deforestation and forest degradation, and reduce greenhouse gas...
Fairtrade has announced an update to its Cocoa Standard with a reinforced focus on human rights, the fight against deforestation, traceability, and living incomes across the sector.
Fairtrade America partners, including Tony’s Chocolonely, Gallant International and Divine Chocolate, have announced a strengthening of commitments to the label for social justice and sustainability.
The European Union has agreed a new law to prevent companies from selling cocoa and other commodities into the EU market that can be traced back to deforestation around the world.
‘No one is doing what they should be doing: Both industry and governments will need to significantly change their business as usual. Let us be very clear; not a single stakeholder group is currently doing what they should be doing to ensure farmers achieve...
A provisional political agreement has been reached between the EU Parliament and the Council in relation to EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains.
Chocolate and cocoa supplier claims that one out of two of its products sold contains sustainable chocolate and is on track to meet its target, set in 2016, to ‘make sustainable chocolate the norm’.
Nestlé is strengthening its policy on responsible marketing to children by voluntarily banning the direct marketing of products that don’t meet the Nestlé Policy Nutrition Criteria to audiences under 16-years-old.
