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.
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.
The recent finalization of the Trans Pacific Partnership is good news for confectioners and sugar-using manufacturers across the US, according to Rick Pasco, president of Sweetener Users Association (SUA).
Pecans could become a mainstay ingredient across the bakery and snacks industry as consumers look for more versatility in their products, says the Center for Pecan Innovation.
Three class action lawsuits brought in California allege Mars, Nestlé and Hershey use child labor to produce their best-selling chocolate brands. The firms say they are tackling the issue and will fight the cases.
Fourteen genomes of Colombian Fino de Aroma cocoa have been discovered and analyzed in research that could lead to unique flavors for the chocolate market.
‘You can’t say you’re sustainable when you’re not reaching the majority,’ says cocoa farmer body
The International Cocoa Farmers Organization has called on the chocolate industry to directly source from cocoa farmers and support efforts to reach 90% of farmers it says have been neglected in cocoa sustainability plans.
Taylors of Harrogate will bring the production of its new coffee capsule products in-house as soon as possible, factory manager John Hennighan has said.
Perilous working conditions for sugarcane growers in Central America have claimed around 20,000 lives in the past decade and supply chain advisor Solidaridad says the food and drink industry can no longer ignore the epidemic.
The Norwegian national investment fund has cut ties with four major Asian companies, citing the risk of ‘severe environmental damage’ as a result of palm oil plantations.
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) is pushing for Australia to be allowed to export more sugar to the US under the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) as it decries plans to maintain current US sugar rules.
The cocoa and chocolate industry acknowledges it must do more to combat cocoa child labor after the number of kids working in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire rises 18%, a report from Tulane University shows.
Financial agri services group Rabobank predicts cocoa futures will remain above $3,000 per metric ton until after Côte D’Ivoire’s October general election.
A growing trend for sustainability certifications and on pack ‘branding’ could mean manufacturers are missing the wider point of sustainability issues and may confuse consumers so much they no longer care.
Euromonitor International expects more chocolate makers will take vertical control of their supply chains by acquiring commodity suppliers as prices continue to climb.
Cocoa farmers are largely excluded from decision making in the chocolate industry’s efforts to boost cocoa productivity but have a right to be heard, says a new international farmer’s organization aiming to stand up for disaffected voices.
The National Confectioners Association has hit back at U.S. senators it says mischaracterized the chocolate industry’s efforts on preventing labor rights abuses on cocoa farms in West Africa. But some Fair Trade chocolate companies say industry is being...
U.S. chocolate manufacturers would forgo buying cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire if a case against three major cocoa processors succeeds, warns a dissenting judge.
The Hershey Company made significant progress against its responsible sourcing and sustainability commitments in 2014, according to its latest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report.
The industry-backed platform CocoaAction has partnered with the Jacob’s Foundation for a $52m education program for cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire, where the majority of young people fail to complete primary school.
The chocolate industry can curtail extreme poverty in the cocoa sector by implementing higher prices that can be passed from consumers to farmers, says Puratos Grand-Place.
Special edition: Beyond 2020 - The future of sustainable cocoa
Asia is poised to help meet rising demand for cocoa, but its key producer Indonesia faces quality concerns and its government lacks incentive to grow the sector.
Special Edition: Beyond 2020 - the future of sustainable cocoa
The chocolate industry must ramp up support for good agricultural practices on existing cocoa farmland or else rainforest will be chopped down to make way for new plantations and it may face supply constraints, say stakeholders.
Special edition: Beyond 2020 - The future of sustainable cocoa
Rising temperatures could seriously change where cocoa is grown in the next half-century and global output could be threatened if the chocolate industry does nothing to protect its key crop.
Italy’s confectionery major Ferrero has purchased almost 700 hectares of fertile agricultural land controlled by Serbian agricultural company Aleksa Santic for €7.95m ($8.64m).
Dispatches from Asia Choco Cocoa Congress in Singapore
Vietnamese state-owned companies plan to convert some coffee and rubber plantations to cocoa, delivering a significant boost to the country’s annual output, says Vietnam’s principle cocoa buyer Puratos Grand-Place.
A single, unifying sustainability standard would be helpful for consumers – but it’s a long way off, says Organic Monitor president and founder Amarjit Sahota.
Multinationals chocolate companies and the public and private sector will come together this week to assess the future of cocoa sustainability in Asia and how to capitalize on rising chocolate demand in the reg
Mondelēz, Mars, Nestlé and Barry Callebaut and Cargill are backing a three-year sustainable cocoa program in Indonesia, which aims to reduce poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.
Nestlé has implemented a child labor prevention system that goes further to detect and stamp out the practice than existing methods, according to its implementing partner the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), which says it could become the industry...
By Antoine Boudib, Managing Director, Akuafo Adamfo Marketing Company Ltd, a Finatrade Company
Cocoa buying companies are the main intermediaries between the chocolate industry and farmers and should not be forgotten in the pursuit of sustainable cocoa, writes one of the largest licensed cocoa buyers in West Africa Finatrade.
The European Union is a major consumer of food commodities sourced from illegally deforested land, according to a new report from Brussels-based NGO Fern.