Food and beverage firms are struggling to meet deforestation related key performance indicators (KPIs) set by environmental disclosure not-for-profit CDP, new data has shown.
Few ecosystems are as important as rainforests, but with scientists claiming we are close to a tipping point and that a massive process of forest restoration is needed to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, ConfectioneryNews spoke with Kerry Daroci,...
In the week that the European Parliament adopted a new law to fight global deforestation and ahead of Earth Day (22 April), Satelligence has announced results of a collaboration with Swedish sustainable ingredients supplier AAK on helping it verify its...
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.
From blockchain to crop monitoring with drones, smallholder cocoa producers in Honduras are digitizing their production thanks to a project led by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Out of 50 applicants, the Rainforest Alliance selected a winner and runner-up for their remote-sensing data plans to help digitize cocoa farming in Ghana.
The chocolate industry must look beyond cocoa alone to avert another big drop in cocoa prices, says the organizer of chocolate festival and cocoa conference Chocoa.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery says it has achieved income and yield increases for Indian mint farmers in the first year of a five-year sustainability program.
Significant progress is being made to combat unlawful child labor, but Indonesia’s declining crop and the falling cocoa price remain major challenges, says Mars' head of procurement.
Nigeria is the world’s sixth largest cocoa producer, but has scope to significantly boost its output and processing capacity, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Mondelēz’s sustainability program, Cocoa Life, will collaborate with governments in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana to reduce deforestation in the cocoa supply chain.
A slim majority of British consumers are prepared to change their diets to help reduce the impacts of climate change, but few would ever switch to vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan diets.
Yield increases must be coupled with agricultural reforms in origin countries and stronger financing packages to bring cocoa farmers out of poverty, according to the World Cocoa Foundation’s new president.
Introducing more cocoa farming to Madagascar is key for a sustainable vanilla market, say Barry Callebaut and Prova on the launch of their new partnership.
Barry Callebaut is expanding its sustainability program in Indonesia and has announced plans to train 50,000 farmers in good agricultural practice by 2020.
Dispatches from the 3rd World Cocoa Conference in Dominican Republic
Cocoa producer living income can be increased by gradually introducing large estates in traditionally smallholder areas, says the International Cocoa Organization’s executive director.
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.
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.
From non-GMO glycerine-based solvents to sustainably sourced hydrocolloids, more and more companies are seeking ethical certification for 'invisible' ingredients – but what’s fuelling this demand when consumers probably don’t even notice?
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.
Demand for organic cocoa is on the rise but market analysts are predicting supply shortages unless more cocoa producers switch to organic farming – but where’s the incentive to do so when this means reduced yields, higher costs and huge debt?
Colombian authorities have launched a Great Cocoa and Chocolate Alliance (GCCA) platform in Bogotá this month, to boost exports from the country’s cocoa and confectionery industries and increase their share of global chocolate markets.
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.
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.
Mondelēz International plans to eventually source its entire cocoa supply from its Cocoa Life sustainability program, but says setting deadlines won't lead to meaningful impact on the ground.
A voluntary framework for sustainable cocoa that could help align industry efforts will be introduced by the end of 2016, say those behind the standard.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched an appeal for $30m (€23,72m) to support food supply resilience and recovery in the three African countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, where long-term impacts on food security are...
Ritter Sport has purchased land for a cocoa plantation in Nicaragua to eventually cover 30% of its cocoa needs and give it greater control of its supply.
Industry fortune-telling of a large cocoa shortfall in 2020 was a shrewd way to secure supply at low prices, but the latest deficit forecasts are nowhere near as gloomy.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has estimated a cocoa surplus for the current crop year, but said the market would return to a small deficit next year.
The FAO wants to improve standards across the world’s genebanks to improve the conservation of crop diversity which in turn means securing resilient global food supplies.
Deforestation, loss of habitats, social upheaval and vast swathes of smoke: there’s no doubt the palm oil industry is guilty of continuing atrocities against both planet and humanity.
Business skills are as important to cocoa farmers as material addressed in field schools, says the program director of Olam and Blommer Chocolate’s independently-run joint venture project Grow Cocoa.
Hershey has launched an initiative to double the cocoa output in Nigeria, which is forecast to register a 20% decline this crop year due to adverse weather and diseases.
Barry Callebaut has opened its first Cocoa Center of Excellence to teach best practices for sustainable cocoa farming in Côte d'Ivoire, the world’s number one cocoa-producing country.
Unilever and Nestlé say Oxfam missed an opportunity for a wider and more comprehensive debate about food ethics after the NGO published a damning report on the supply chains of the world’s biggest food firms this week.
The chocolate industry is behind in tackling some cocoa supply issues and must work more closely to avert shortages, according to Mars’ head of sustainability.
