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.
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
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.
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.
Brazil considers raising minimum cocoa content to 35%, in line with US standards
Authorities in Brazil are planning to ramp up the quality of chocolate products sold in the country, which could result in greater demand for cocoa beans and higher prices for cocoa growers.
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 chocolate industry must commit to longer sourcing agreements if it expects farmers to be able to invest in cocoa productivity and quality, according to a leading farming cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire.
Chocolate manufacturers have made great strides in cocoa sustainability, but are fixated on boosting productivity and can do far more to ensure cocoa farmers receive a living income, according to a report by NGOs.
International chocolatiers are showing increased interest in Haitian cocoa, providing rural Haitians a livelihood in cocoa farming after the country’s 2010 Earthquake, says a Federation of farming cooperatives.
The International Cocoa Organization has quelled media reports of a chocolate crisis in 2020 and says there are sufficient cocoa stocks for the next five years.
Cocoa production in Peru is set to rise 5% in calendar year 2014 and increases in planting will see the country become a key cocoa exporter in the coming years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Certified cocoa bodies can co-exist with an international standard for sustainable cocoa that will be finalized in 2016, according to delegates at the World Cocoa Foundation’s partnership meeting.
Cocoa Ingredients supplier Transmar has called on cocoa and chocolate companies to make a donation to the Red Cross or Caritas to combat the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa.
Nicaragua holds potential as a future fine flavor cocoa origin as farmers shift from coffee to cocoa, but much work is needed to improve fermentation practices, according to Atlanta Chocolate’s founder.
A study says regular dark chocolate consumption raises children's exposure to cadmium but they would have to eat over 100 regular sized bars a month to exceed health guidelines.
Research on mice has added to a growing body of evidence that cocoa improves metabolism, but it is too soon to suggest that chocolate fights obesity, according to the lead researcher.
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.
‘Neuroprotective effects’ and ‘improved metabolism’ could be the next health claims for cocoa and dark chocolate after Barry Callebaut’s heart health win, according to a medical doctor.
Giving cocoa farming cooperatives shares in chocolate firms would improve livelihoods and encourage them to boost yields and quality, while giving chocolate manufacturers greater control of their supply chain, says Divine Chocolate.
The amount of cocoa processed in Europe dropped 1% in the second quarter falling below traders’ expectations, but it's too soon to tell if chocolate demand is sliding.
Industry voices discuss whether raising suggested retail prices for chocolate could incentivise cocoa farmers to invest in farms, bring them out of poverty and keep the next generation growing cocoa.
By Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified,
Chocolate could become a small and expensive niche product unless we all do more to help cocoa farmers escape poverty, writes UTZ Certified executive director Han De Groot.
NGO STOP THE TRAFFIK has accused Mondelēz International of lagging behind its rivals by attempting to self-regulate child trafficking in the cocoa sector.
The chocolate industry should embrace certification to improve the livelihoods of farmers or risk losing a generation of cocoa growers, according to the head of a Fairtrade cocoa cooperative in the Ivory Coast.
Despite the growing body of research extolling the health benefits of flavanols found in cocoa, chocolate product manufacturers have yet to fully embrace front-of-pack claims calling out these compounds—with many still opting for more general “antioxidant”...
A cocoa butter replacer derived from mango seed fat and palm stearin could help chocolate withstand high temperatures and may benefit manufacturers in tropical countries, according to a study.
Stationery made from the pruned bark of cocoa trees contributes to a sustainable cocoa bean supply and allows confectioners to deliver a marketing story, according to supplier Cocoa Paper.
Spanish cocoa processor Natra has posted a net loss in its 9-month results which it attributed to rising cocoa prices amid speculation of industry consolidation.
The Indonesian deputy trade minister has said that after successfully increasing domestic cocoa grinding capacity the country should lower cocoa bean import duties to prevent shortages in the future.
Cadbury will invest in trials to commercially cultivate cocoa in Australia for the first time as it sets out plans to upgrade its production facility in Tasmania.
Corporate sustainability programs do not go far enough to stamp out child labor on cocoa farms - only third party certification will do, says a new campaign.
The potential of cocoa to beneficially impact ‘good’ cholesterol levels may be linked to the theobromine content and not the flavonoids, says a new study from Unilever Research & Development Vlaardingen.
Cocoa processing is increasingly moving to origin countries, particularly those in regions where chocolate consumption is rising such as Brazil and Indonesia, according to ADM Cocoa’s head of innovation.
Sourcing cocoa from certified farms can minimise incidence of child labour, but if that’s enough, why else should chocolate manufacturers commit to third-party certification?
Urgent action was necessary to avoid the “bleak situation” of a serious global shortage of cocoa supplies within a decade, Fiona Dawson, president of Mars Chocolate UK, warned yesterday (June 12).
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) anticipates a lower than expected global cocoa shortage in the 2011/12 season due to ideal weather conditions and higher grinds in some cocoa producing countries.
Consumption of cocoa and the compounds it contains offer significant and ‘consistent’ benefits to blood flow and blood pressure, says a new meta-analysis of 42 studies.
