A US appeal court has ruled that Nestlé, ADM and Cargill can be held to account for aiding and abetting child slavery in Côte D’Ivoire and has allowed a US lawsuit to proceed.
Consumers in producer countries are increasingly interested in Fairtrade certified products as a means of supporting their domestic economy, according to Fairtrade International’s annual report.
Ferrero’s plans to build a new production facility in the UK and double its sales here to £400M by 2015 were abandoned because of capital expenditure constraints, it has been revealed.
Nestlé has extended its partnership with expansion services firm DKSH to bring confectionery brands such as Kit Kat, Milo Confectionery and Uncle Toby’s to traditional trade channels in Singapore.
Cargill joins Barry Callebaut as the joint industrial chocolate powerhouse after its acquisition of ADM’s chocolate operations, but the move is risky in the volatile cocoa economy, says an analyst.
Biotec firm Lycotec has submitted a dossier to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to gain a health claim for its L-tug ingredient, which it claims can be added to chocolate to reduce cholesterol.
Chocolate confectionery sales are falling in the UK as consumers move to lower priced products and take advantage of promotions following price hikes, says an analyst at IRI.
Hershey has filed a lawsuit against LBB Imports accusing it of infringing multiple trademarks on products such as Reese’s and York by importing similar brands into the US such as Toffee Crisp and Yorkie.
Hershey has unveiled a new logo as part of a corporate brand makeover designed to reflect its “evolution from a predominately U.S. chocolate maker to a global confection and snack company”.
The National Confectioners Association is concerned that added sugar declarations on the Nutrition Facts Panel would force confectioners to give away recipe “trade secrets”.
When Michael Jolley left his carob orchard in South Australia to attend his first Asian food industry show in Hong Kong recently, he was amazed by the response of visitors who had never before seen the ingredient.
Lindt & Sprüngli's US subsidiary Ghirardelli Chocolate has settled a class action lawsuit over allegations its Premium Baking Chips – Classic White misled consumers by claiming to contain white chocolate.
Buying certified cocoa only from third party organizations such as UTZ Certified is now an essential part of doing business for all chocolate companies, not just the big ones, says Scandinavian confectioner Cloetta.
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.
Demand for the sustainable oil is rising faster than supply for the first time as total sales of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) reach more than 2.4 million metric tonnes (MT).
Chocolat Frey has been chosen ahead of other Swiss chocolate makers such as Lindt to produce a small chocolate tablet for Swiss Airlines that it hopes will boost its export business.
Fire has damaged Barry Callebaut’s chocolate processing at Banbury in Oxfordshire, but the company has reassured customers that it could maintain normal levels of service by drawing on other facilities.
Nestlé aims to step up efforts to eradicate child labour in the cocoa supply chain, after an independent report indicated progress was being made, but more needed to be done.
A formula using stevia leaves and peppermint gives a fully natural-sweetened chocolate that has a similar taste and mouthfeel to a sugar counterpart but with 44% fewer calories, according to research.
The next several years will herald a surge in quality cocoa volumes from Central America creating opportunities for premium origin chocolates, says Lutheran World Relief.
Inspection system features like reject confirmation systems and locked reject bins can help confectionery manufacturers stay abreast of the exacting safety demands of big retailers, says Mettler-Toledo.
Asia Pacific will leapfrog North America in 2014 retail value confectionery sales to become the world’s second largest market, according to Euromonitor International.
Mars has filed a patent for ‘multi-texture’ caramel products, using a method that prevents moisture migration from caramel to crispy components without the need for a fat-based moisture barrier.
Hachez, owned by the Danish Toms Group, will move part of its packaging production from Germany to Poland in an attempt to claw back some of its recent losses.
