From September this year, Rainforest Alliance will start rolling out the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard worldwide. How does this newly enhanced standard set itself apart in the field? FoodNavigator speaks with the NGO’s director of standards and...
The Rainforest Alliance has said it is ready to fully support Nestlé in its mission to improve sustainability in the cocoa sector, after it was announced the confectionery giant and maker of KitKats is to expand its in-house Cocoa Plan certification scheme...
The Fairtrade Foundation has issued a statement in response to Nestlé’s surprise announcement that it is planning to stop using Fairtrade cocoa and sugar in its chocolate bars, including the top-selling KitKats, and use Rainforest Alliance certification...
Chocolate and confectionery maker The Hershey Company reached a milestone in its CSR strategy in January when 100% of the cocoa it sources was certified sustainable. FoodNavigator speaks to the company’s director of global sustainability and social impact...
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), an EU-funded institution established to support smallholder farmers in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific, has published results of a project carried out with blockchain specialists Gaiachain,...
The 25% penalty on sweetened biscuits and waffle products exported from Germany to the United States has had a negative impact on its manufacturers, claimed the Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI).
Following consultation with stakeholders about the viability of holding a major trade exhibition as coronavirus cases continue to rise in multiple states, New Hope has opted to cancel Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia (Sept. 23-26) and encourage...
The food industry is under massive pressure to reformulate products with less sugar. And in light of the voluntary target in the UK for manufacturers to meet a 20% cut in sugar by 2020 unlikely to be met, campaigners are increasingly demanding that mandatory...
Ahead of the United Nations’ World Day Against Child Labour, the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) has released findings of its 2019 Annual Report, which will be published to mark the day on 12 June.
Fuji Oil Holdings, along with subsidiary Blommer Chocolate Company, has announced two global initiatives as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, as well as signing up to the Jacobs Foundation education initiative.
Jeff King, Hershey’s senior director of global sustainability and social impact, is the person responsible for the company’s Cocoa For Good sustainability program, which has committed to 100% direct-sourced cocoa in West Africa by 2025. He talks to ConfectioneryNews...
An intensive programme for Fairtrade cocoa cooperatives in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, is showing encouraging signs, according to initial results released by the organization.
The World Cocoa Foundation’s (WCF) 2020 Partnership Meeting, set to be held in Bogotá, Colombia, on November 18 and 19, has been switched to an online-only event due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organization has announced.
Company says its flavour modulator range (FMP) is designed to address the upcoming European organic regulation regarding flavourings for organic food and beverages to have at least a 95/5 structure — meaning 100% natural with at least 95% derived from...
Public health campaigner Action on Sugar and Action on Salt has fleshed out the details on the interventionist measures it wants adopted in the UK to combat obesity and improve the nation’s health.
The European Cocoa Association (ECA) has announced Cargill president of Cocoa & Chocolate, Harold Poelma, as the new chairman of the Association for the next two years, effective immediately.
The donation includes two ventilators, complementing the 18 ordered by the government in addition to the four already available in this West African country of 25 million inhabitants, and the world’s largest cocoa producer.
Use of barcoded cocoa bags and digital Cooperative Management Systems (CMS), means 50% of sustainable cocoa beans in its direct supply chain are now traceable from farm-to-factory, Cargill claims.
Following the release of the confectionery giant’s Snacking Made Right Report, Pieters discusses life in lockdown, how the group is looking after its farmers on the ground and why 100% sustainable cocoa is achievable.
CAOBISCO, the Association of the Chocolate, Biscuits & Confectionery Industries of Europe, has called on the EU and UK authorities to extend free trade agreement (FTA) talks fearing a balanced trade agreement could be jeopardised because of the COVID-19...
A new ad-spot on TV and social media created by Hershey's in-house agency addresses one of the side-effects of mask wearing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Olam Cocoa has announced a package of support to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and important medical supplies to its cocoa farming communities tackling COVID-19 across central and West Africa.
A major new landscape study commissioned into the cocoa sector in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire by Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life in conjunction with The Fairtrade Foundation has discovered that at least 800,000 farmers are being targeted more than...
The German confectionery industry has not been immune to the coronavirus pandemic with more than half of medium-sized companies reporting a decline in sales in the first quarter of 2020, according to research by the Federal Association of the German Confectionery...
The Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) and its partners have donated more than 28,000 chocolate, hot chocolate drinks and snack items to healthcare and other frontline workers through an initiative managed by Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Centre...
Smallholder farmers in Africa are particularly at risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Julie Greene, VP, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at agri-food giant Olam.
Divine Chocolate was established in 1998 by a co-operative of cocoa farmers in Ghana that owns 44% of the company and shares in its profit and is known as the ‘Chocolate that Champions Women’.
Eliminating deforestation in cocoa-producing regions such a Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire is a challenge, and one that requires more resources, says Violaine Berger, senior program manager of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative at the Sustainable Trade Initiative.
Fairtrade says the funding is in place to support farmers, workers and communities affected by the coronavirus pandemic to meet long-term and short-term needs.
An official report funded by the US Department of Labor and due out at the end of June assessing progress in reducing child labor in cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana has found the proportion of children engaged in dangerous child labor in cocoa...
India’s leading biscuits and confectionery manufacturer has changed the ‘kissing couple’ logo for its iconic Kismi brand to educate people on the need for social distancing to stay safe during the pandemic crisis.
New initiative builds on other industry efforts to help cocoa farmers respond to coronavirus pandemic and is backed by more than 30 companies and organizations.
Cacao-Trace, Belcolade & Puratos’ sustainable cocoa sourcing programme, is ensuring its farmers are given financial help and practical support to hep fight COVID-19 in their communities.
The Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) International Cocoa Conference will now take place from 4 to 5 November 2021 at the Raffles City Convention Centre (RCCC), Singapore.
We are proud to announce our new editorial advisory board comprised of key figures from the cocoa and chocolate industry assembled to help ConfectioneryNews maintain its position as a leading voice in the sector and help with coverage of industry-related...
The review, developed in partnership with the Swiss Cocoa Platform and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), examines evidence of the impact of unexpected shocks that either increased or decreased incomes, as well as the effects of...
Fresh initiative backed by the Ivorian government and chocolate industry aims to jointly tackle root causes of child labor and improve education standards in West African country.
‘Choco-Evangelist’ Ynzo van Zanten delivered an upbeat session during a livestream on YouTube answering questions about the brand's mission, its history, problems in the cocoa industry, and the secret to how Tony's makes its premium and ethical...
Fairtrade producer organisations stand to lose around $380m a year in Fairtrade Premium if they are unable to sell their products, organioation has warned.
Emmanuel Macron, France’s bastion of liberal globalisation and defender of the EU Single Market, has said that French agriculture needs to become more ‘independent’ in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Could this signal a more protectionist approach...
Fairtrade International has announced sales of Fairtrade certified cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased farmers’ earnings by approximately $15.1m compared to non-Fairtrade cocoa.
Swiss cocoa supplier says it is complying with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, and government directives on COVID-19, as watchdog releases a COVID-19 response for Cocoa Farmers.
The Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) is a commitment made by the world’s largest cocoa producing countries - Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana - civil society and leading chocolate companies to end deforestation and restore forests. Like many other big cocoa...
