Cocoa

Environment

Mars reuses old iconic adverts to raise consumer awareness of climate action

29-Nov-2023 By Anthony Myers

Mars Incorporated has launched a first-of-its-kind digital and out-of-home campaign that ‘reuses’ fan-favourite advertisements, giving them a second life and claiming the new messages bring hope and progress around climate action.

How Mars is rethinking reformulation on its path to net zero

29-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

As part of Mars Inc.’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the confectionery major is optimising product recipes to include more environmentally friendly ingredients.

Consumer Reports releases updated report on high levels of heavy metals in chocolate, NCA reaffirms chocolate is “safe to eat”

27-Oct-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Dark chocolate “can be contaminated with lead and cadmium, two heavy metals linked to serious health problems,” Consumer Reports warned this week, referencing its 2022 test of 23 chocolate brands; while the National Confectioner Association reaffirms...

Financial results

Nestlé reports double-digit sales growth in confectionery brands

19-Oct-2023 By Anthony Myers

In a market statement relating to its nine-month sales for 2023, Nestlé said growth was broad-based across most geographies and categories.

Sustainabilty

Cargill accused of child labour practices on Brazilian cocoa farms

28-Sep-2023 By Anthony Myers

Cargill, one of the world’s largest cocoa suppliers, has been ordered by a Brazilian court to pay 600,000 reais ($120,185) as indemnity for allegedly buying cocoa from farms where child labour or forced work has been identified.

Mondelez CEO worries how much higher prices can go before consumers say ‘no’

07-Sep-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

As snack giant Mondelez faces yet another round of price increases in 2024, CEO Dirk Van de Put says he wonders how much consumers can absorb and what the company needs to do to maintain volume and market share without compromising margins and profitability.

Regulation

Organic cocoa supplier has digital tools to help companies comply with EU deforestation laws

21-Aug-2023 By Anthony Myers

Tradin Organic, a Netherlands-based certified organic food ingredients supplier for the food sector, claims it can help chocolate manufacturers, brands and retailers navigate the new EU laws on deforestation by sharing access with its clients to all data...

Ayana Bio opens a new plant cell-to-product lab

12-Jul-2023 By Stephen Daniells

The new lab in Boston’s Seaport District is intended to help the company accelerate the commercialization of multiple cultivated ingredients.

Sustainability

‘The hard truth is that the old sustainability models are good but not good enough’ – Rainforest Alliance calls for a new vision to address global crises

06-Jul-2023 By Anthony Myers

The Rainforest Alliance Annual Report has called for a new strategic direction to address interconnected global crises as the organisation sets out its new vision for accelerating action to address the climate emergency, biodiversity loss, systemic poverty,...

Commodities

Cocoa prices hit 26-year high, as soft commodities start to fall

05-Jul-2023 By Anthony Myers

Recent bad weather in West Africa has threatened cocoa production resulting in record-high prices for the commodity on the Intercontinental Exchange in London.

Sustainability

Barry Callebaut ‘sharpens’ its Forever Chocolate sustainability plan

10-May-2023 By Anthony Myers

Barry Callebaut Group has announced significant changes to its Forever Chocolate sustainability programme adding additional targets and sharpening existing ones as it looks to make sustainable chocolate the norm beyond 2025.

Financial results

Barry Callebaut lowers sales volume guidance after ‘flat to modest’ growth

05-Apr-2023 By Anthony Myers

In news over-shadowed by the shock resignation of CEO Peter Boone, Barry Callebaut announced sales volumes in the six months ending 28 February fell 2.9% to 1.13 million tonnes and has lowered its sales volume guidance as inflationary pressures continue...

Sustainability

Sweet news for chocolate lovers - and cocoa farmers - as more products added to Fairtrade

13-Mar-2023 By Anthony Myers

Strong consumer demand for affordable, sustainable products will drive the Fairtrade market in 2023, the organisation said after a successful awareness campaign in the UK brought ethically sourced products, such as chocolate, bananas and coffee, into...

Supply chain

Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa regulator expects exporters to honour contracts

22-Feb-2023 By Anthony Myers

Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC), Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa regulator, has issued a statement that it expects the country’s cocoa exporters to fulfill their contracts despite supply chain issues at ports.

Sustainabilty

Chocolate processors Baronie & Cémoi join Tony’s Open Chain to improve its cocoa traceability

08-Feb-2023 By Anthony Myers

Tony’s Open Chain, an initiative by Tony’s Chocolonely that invites other chocolate manufacturers to ramp up sustainability efforts in their own supply chains, has announced it is partnering with chocolate processor Baronie & Cémoi.

FDA will not object to limited health claims regarding cocoa flavanols and cardiovascular disease

06-Feb-2023 By Lauren Nardella

FDA will allow a very narrow set of claims linking cocoa flavanols in high flavanol cocoa powder and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease following a petition from Switzerland-based chocolate and cocoa product manufacturer Barry Callebaut AG.

Sustainability

Fairtrade launches new map to identify human rights and environmental risks in cocoa and other commodities

26-Jan-2023 By Anthony Myers

In a statement, Fairtrade said: ‘Risk assessment and collaboration with farmers and workers are cornerstones of sustainable supply chains and essential for evolving due diligence requirements’.

Health

Dark chocolate producers urged to act on ‘harmful’ levels of cadmium

25-Jan-2023 By Anthony Myers

Consumer Reports, the independent, non-profit member organisation that allegedly tested and discovered harmful levels of cadmium and other harmful heavy metals in some chocolate products, has urged the producers to commit by Valentine's Day to reduce...

'Cocoa used to be in a fruit on a tree. Through technology we make it in a cell mass in a bottle...'

Lab-grown cocoa? Celleste Bio backs plant cell culture to solve ‘chocolate supply crisis’

21-Dec-2022 By Shane Starling

Israeli start-up Celleste Bio is building momentum to disrupt the chocolate supply chain… by growing cocoa in a lab.

Mondelēz International offloads gum business as it doubles down on core snacking categories

20-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The move advances its strategy to accelerate growth and focus portfolio on attractive chocolate, biscuits and baked snacks categories.

Health

NCA issues statement on Consumer Reports study into heavy metals in chocolate and cocoa

19-Dec-2022 By Anthony Myers

The National Confectioners Association (NCA) has issued a statement on the findings of a consumer report released in the United States that claims to have found dangerous amounts of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in chocolate from popular brands including...

Barry Callebaut unwraps ‘second generation’ of chocolate: ‘It gives a cocoa bite, instead of a sweet bite’

03-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

The chocolate major is ‘redesigning’ how it farms, ferments, and roasts cocoa beans to develop a range of chocolate. We ask Bas Smit, Vice-President, Global Marketing and R&D, how the company is putting ‘cocoa first, sugar last’.

Mondelēz International to invest $600m to scale cocoa sustainability program

26-Oct-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International is investing an additional $600m by 2030 in its cocoa sustainability program, Cocoa Life, for a total investment of $1bn since the start of the program 10 years ago.

Manufacturing

Ghana-based Niche Cocoa opens new facility in the United States

12-Oct-2022 By Anthony Myers

Ghanaian cocoa processing company Niche Cocoa has announced a major investment in the US with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Franklin, Wisconsin.

Fazer investigates cellular agriculture for sustainable cocoa

19-Aug-2022 By Katy Askew

Finnish confectioner Fazer is working to secure a sustainable future cocoa supply. The company believes cellular agriculture could be part of that vision.

Grindings

Slight climb in cocoa prices as chocolate production slows

27-Jun-2022 By Anthony Myers

Cocoa prices rallied in the week ending 24 June, after the Cote d’Ivoire government reported that cocoa farmers sent a cumulative 2.24 MMT of cocoa to its ports from 1 October 1 to 19 June, down -1.8% y/y.

Voyage Foods CEO: ‘If you look at cocoa and coffee prices over the last 20 years, they’re going in one direction’

01-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

Voyage Foods – one of a new wave of startups reverse engineering common foods from coffee (without beans) to chocolate (minus the cacao) using more sustainably and ethically-sourced ingredients - will debut its cacao-free chocolate in September in a filled...

Cacao-free ‘alt choc’ mimics the real thing, with 80% fewer CO2 emissions

11-May-2022 By Flora Southey

UK start-up WNWN Food Labs is launching what it claims to be the ‘world’s first’ cacao-free chocolate. Made from two ‘hero ingredients’ – barley and carob – we ask co-founders Arhum Pak and Dr Johnny Drain what makes their product better than the real...

Behind Nestlé’s CHF1.3bn drive to bridge the living income gap in cocoa

11-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

Nestlé has launched an initiative that promises to help bridge the living income gap for cocoa farmers in its supply chain. With a focus on productivity, resilience, diversification and access to education the company is more than tripling its current...

Commodities

US demand for chocolate drives up cocoa prices

13-Jan-2022 By Anthony Myers

Record surge for chocolate by American consumers has pushed sales to $29bn, with retail chocolate sales climbing more than 5% a quarter, according to data from Chicago-based researcher IRI.

Cargill and vertical farming company AeroFarms team up to unlock a more resilient cocoa supply chain

18-Aug-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Cargill and vertical farming pioneer AeroFarms are combining their areas of expertise in a multi-year research agreement to unlock new ways of creating a more resilient and productive cocoa sector.

Low cocoa prices pose ‘serious consequences for long-term supply of chocolate’, warns Fairtrade

08-Jul-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Chocolate as we know it is facing a difficult future and could become a rare, luxurious treat, the group has claimed.

Sustainability

Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire launch new threats to cocoa companies over LID payments

24-Jun-2021 By Anthony Myers

Neighbouring West African states account for over 60% of global cocoa supplies, but have threatened to name and shame chocolate brands trying to avoid paying the LID, a $400-per-tonne premium, which goes to their farmers.

Ben & Jerry’s pioneers living income for cocoa farmers: ‘The challenges we face as a planet come back to economic justice’

27-Jan-2021 By Katy Askew

Ben & Jerry’s has ramped up its living income approach for Cote D’Ivoire cocoa farmers in partnership with Fairtrade. Global Values Led Sourcing Manager Cheryl Pinto tells FoodNavigator that addressing poverty is key to tackling supply chain issues,...

Sustainability

Rainforest Alliance says it’s ready to work with Nestlé on its cocoa certification scheme

26-Jun-2020 By Anthony Myers

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...

Commodities

Cocoa prices dip on markets in wake of coronavirus pandemic

25-May-2020 By Anthony Myers

The price action on cocoa on the futures market looks similar to 2008, analyst claims, while lockdown in Nigeria disrupts supplies

World Cocoa Conference side-event

How is the chocolate industry progressing in combating cocoa child labor?

20-Apr-2018 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz, Cargill, Nestlé and Tony’s Chocolonely will discuss progress and challenges in implementing Child Labor Monitoring & Remediation Systems (CLMRS) in cocoa communities at a panel during the World Cocoa Conference.

Interview with counsel for six alleged child slaves

'Head in the sand' approach on cocoa supply chain may not wash if Nestlé, ADM & Cargill suit proceeds, says lawyer

13-Dec-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

A lawyer representing six alleged child slaves working in cocoa in a class action against Nestlé, ADM and Cargill says the ramifications of the case on the chocolate industry could be huge.

Even doubled income for farmers won’t make cocoa sustainable: Mars

27-Jun-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa living income may need to quadruple to secure the long term future of the crop, says Mars’ global procurement head.

World Cocoa Conference 2016: In their own words

Cocoa sector remains ‘far from’ from sustainable

20-Jun-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

Stakeholders at the World Cocoa Conference 2016 acknowledge there is a long road ahead to reach full cocoa sustainability.

Special edition: Beyond 2020 - The future of sustainable cocoa

‘We cannot let Indonesia fail’: Mars stresses Asia’s importance in meeting future cocoa demand

29-Apr-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

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.

Who’s drawn the short straw? Chocolate makers can’t expect higher cocoa yields under short-term contracts

13-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

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 shortage ‘overstated in the extreme’, says ICCO

24-Nov-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

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.

Special Edition: Polyphenols

Callebaut: More specific cocoa flavanol content claims will increase

28-Jan-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

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”...

Third party certification only way to combat cocoa child labor, says campaign group

12-Jun-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

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.

Editor’s Blog

Mars cocoa genome research no Monsanto GM moment

10-Jun-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars' cocoa genome research has the potential to avert a cocoa crisis and could benefit farmers in the developing world – it is no GM scandal.

Cocoa processing migrating to origin, says ADM

13-May-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

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.

Setting certified cocoa goals makes ethical and business sense

25-Jun-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

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?

Cocoa prices hinge on Ivory Coast election says Rabobank

02-Dec-2010 By Helen Glaberson

Rabobank has warned that cocoa prices will respond if there is a return to civil war in the Ivory Coast as this could impede cocoa exports onto the world market.

ADM expects higher sustainable cocoa output in 2011

18-Nov-2010 By Jane Byrne

Participation in ADM’s cocoa growing certification programme - Serap - has tripled since its implementation and it has provided almost 49,000 metric tonnes of sustainable cocoa in the period, said the cocoa processor as it conducts a review of the programme...