Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest supplier of cocoa and chocolate products, says it has prioritized the establishment of traceability in its Ghanaian and Ivorian supply chains,
Under the Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI), a multi-stakeholder initiative dedicated to ending cocoa farming induced deforestation in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, Barry Callebaut has committed to deliver 100% traceability in its supply chains and in line with this commitment, the Group says it has mapped 100% of the farms and warehouses in its direct supply chain at risk of sourcing from protected forest areas.
The company also says it is a key tool for the group to reach its Forever Chocolate commitment to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025. This commitment also includes a target to source 100% of the its ingredients sustainably by 2025.
Protected forest area
Barry Callebaut says it has mapped all its cocoa farms within 5 km from a protected forest area and all cocoa warehouses within 25km from a protected forest area. By the end of the year the group says it will have mapped all the farms in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana it sources from, meaning that 100% of the cocoa volume sourced in Ghana and 40% of the cocoa volume sourced in Côte d’Ivoire, by Barry Callebaut, is traceable.
The Ghanaian government has already mandated the traceability of cocoa, which means that 100% of the cocoa volume Barry Callebaut sources in Ghana is traceable to community level.
“As we continue to work with governments on the implementation of CFI, we will see further acceleration of progress,” a spokesperson said.
Forever Chocolate is Barry Callebaut's plan to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025 to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.