Millions is wasted on celeb marketing campaigns that could be redirected to help the world’s poorest achieve a living income through blockchain tokens, says Fairchain and the UNDP.
Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life sustainability program aims to strengthen the company’s supply chain and the Cadbury maker’s on-pack claims are only to signal brands contain sustainable cocoa, says Cathy Pieters, the director of the program.
The world’s second-largest cocoa producing nation became the third country to sign a deal that aims to address the effects of deforestation and forest degradation.
As part of the She Deserves campaign to highlight the role of women on cocoa farms, Fairtrade Foundation unveiled a secret hot chocolate salon in East London and hosted a reception at the House of Parliament.
Dr John Sentamu says it is ‘shameful and inexcusable’ that cocoa farmers are living on as little as 75p a day and backs The Fairtrade Foundation’s new report to increase living incomes in line with UN’s Global Goals to end poverty.
Fairtrade Fortnight, which starts on Monday, February 25, sees businesses backing Fairtrade’s cocoa campaign with calls for more action from UK government.
The wellbeing of children and youth in cocoa-growing communities was an important item on the agenda of WCF’s recent partnership meeting in Brazil. Taco Terheijden, Cargill group director, sustainability, explains what his company is doing to improve...
Fernando Morales-de la Cruz, founder @CafeForChange and @CacaoForChange, responds to the recent announcement of Fairtrade's price increase for cocoa farmers.
A raft of promises and reports were published on this year’s World Day Against Child Labor, highlighting the extent of forced labor in the cocoa industry with calls for greater transparency to help solve the problem.
The president of the World Cocoa Foundation and Mondelēz’s Cocoa Life director discuss how the chocolate industry will tackle calls to guarantee cocoa farmers a living income.
Sourcing to fair trade standards, such as UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade, is an important first step for chocolate makers towards cocoa sustainability, but will not necessarily bring farmers out of extreme poverty, say supply chain actors.
Chocolate and cocoa companies should report more on the impact than the reach of their cocoa sustainability programs, according to a consultation paper by a group of NGOs.
A group of NGOs, including the VOICE Network, Solidaridad and Oxfam, are encouraging chocolate makers to set a minimum price for cocoa and to eventually move to a flexible premium system.
Cocoa farmers in the top producing country Côte D’Ivoire earn around 91 US cents (CFA 568) per day, according to a study by Barry Callebaut and the French Development Agency (AFD).
The World Cocoa Farmers Organization (WCFO) and The International CoCoa Farmers Organization (ICCFO) have merged and are urging the cocoa and chocolate industry to support efforts to group farmers to ensure traceability.
The legal risk of acknowledging there is child labor and extreme poverty in the chocolate industry’s supply chain is no reason not to act, says Barry Callebaut’s CEO.
Barry Callebaut has pledged to bring 500,000 cocoa farmers out of extreme poverty and eradicate child labor in its supply chain under an initiative to source fully sustainable cocoa by 2025.
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.
Soft drinks could cost up to 25% more in Thailand after the National Reform Steering Assembly’s health panel approved by 153 votes to two a proposal to increase taxes for non-alcoholic drinks with high content of sugar.
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.
Australia’s leading chocolate companies such as Mondelēz, Nestlé, Mars and Lindt have all pledged to source only “sustainable” cocoa for domestically manufactured goods, says the Australian Industry Group.
Chocolate companies outside the top six need to up their games on sustainable cocoa to help bring millions of cocoa farmers in West Africa out of poverty and secure the crop’s future, says Cadbury’s former head of cocoa sourcing.
‘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.
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 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.
The chocolate industry and fairtrade movement are perpetuating poverty in Africa by relying on the continent for it’s agricultural assets rather than manufacturing potential, says Madagascan chocolate maker Madécasse.
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.
Chocolate manufacturers will face a serious cocoa supply shortage unless they work to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and allow them to invest in sustainable production, according to an academic.
Tackling the global food crisis requires emergency measures,
including a possible freeze on grain-based biofuels - and a
longer-term strategy to secure supply for the future and establish
global trade systems, says institute.
The food crisis is neither new nor sudden. The several underlying
causes have been independently, steadily gathering speed and have
collided in a perfect storm not seen for generations. It is going
to take a coordinated, long-term...
Sales of the Divine brand fair-trade chocolate are set to increase
15 per cent over the holiday season, suggesting that consumers
extend the season of goodwill to cocoa farmers around the world, as
well as their own families.
World Food Day is galvanising global food companies to help support
cocoa labourers, some of the poorest workers in the world, as more
and more businesses are signing up to sustainability
programmes.
Last week saw a string of communications about food price rises:
first warnings were aired about wheat, then meat, then dairy. It's
a vertiginous view from the heights of the commodity markets, and
it's clearer than ever...
