The zeal for sugar reformulation could blinker companies against producing the healthiest versions of their products, experts told FoodNavigator following the FDF’s latest sugar reduction guidelines.
Cocoa and chocolate stakeholders highlight the advantages and potential pitfalls of high-yielding cocoa variety CCN-51. What part should it play in the industry’s drive for sustainability?
Chocolate makers are being pushed to join Dominican Republic’s plans to triple cocoa yields by 2027. The nation can become as valuable as Nacional, a prized cocoa variety from Ecuador, says the UNDP.
The chocolate industry should explore longer four-year financing projects for cocoa farmers if it is serious about making the cocoa sector sustainable, says certification body Rainforest Alliance (RA).
Sugar alternatives may actually increase an individual’s appetite for real sugar by interfering with the way glucose is used in the body, a study has found.
Global sugar prices have rocketed 30% since mid-April as the balance between supply and demand tightens. In Europe prices have remained steady but could soon increase, according to Rabobank’s latest sugar quarterly.
Tuanis Chocolate debuted its soy-free chocolate bar during the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago recently, and is set to sell it at 28 US retailers, mostly Midwestern, from June 15th.
Ferrero is to double the amount of Fairtrade cocoa it purchases and will buy Fairtrade sugar for the first time as it targets 100% ‘sustainable' sugar by 2020.
Barry Callebaut is expanding its sustainability program in Indonesia and has announced plans to train 50,000 farmers in good agricultural practice by 2020.
The FDA has issued a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) no objections letter for EverSweet, Cargill’s hotly-anticipated ‘next-generation’ Reb D and Reb M sweetener – produced via fermentation rather than from the stevia leaf - qualifying it for use in...
Dispatches from the 3rd World Cocoa Conference in Dominican Republic
Cocoa producer living income can be increased by gradually introducing large estates in traditionally smallholder areas, says the International Cocoa Organization’s executive director.
Swiss startup Choba Choba, partly owned by cocoa producers, has created an ultra-premium chocolate range made using a hybrid of CCN-51 and native Peruvian cocoa.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has appointed its next full-time president, while Cargill has named a new global head of its cocoa and chocolate businesses.
Chair of the International Cocoa Organization’s (ICCO) panel on fine flavor cocoa discusses why countries are seeking fine flavor status and how it can be won.
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.
Farm efficiency is back at heart of the industry’s sustainability push after Mars’ acquisition of Ecuadorian cocoa plantation Hacienda La Chola, according to Hardman Agribusiness.
An incoming international standard on sustainable cocoa will bring farmers ‘one big step below the poverty-line’ if it remains unchanged, argues a farmers’ group.
Figures from grinders including Cargill, Barry Callebaut, Nestlé and Mondelēz show the volumes of cocoa processed in Europe in the first quarter of this year.
Cémoi has begun a five-year, €2m ($2.3m) research program called Frenchoc Premium to obtain consistent chocolate quality via cocoa fermentation, using science applied in the wine industry.
Barry Callebaut has posted volume growth above the chocolate confectionery market in its half-year results, but net profit fell mainly due to currency fluctuations and a challenged cocoa ingredients business.
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.
A district court in California has thrown out lawsuits accusing Hershey and Nestlé of misleading consumers by failing to disclose cocoa in some chocolate brands may come from slave labor.
Future cocoa demand will be met by a thriving professionalized sector in Latin America as chocolate makers move away from a “structurally blighted” West African market, claims Hardman Agribusiness.
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.
Divine Chocolate has substantially increased group turnover to £12.6m (almost $18m) for the 12 months to June 2015 after merging its UK and US business units.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) predicts cocoa coming from commercial plantations will rise from 5% of the world output today to 10% in the next 20 years.
Cocoa and other goods procured by forced or child labor have been banned from entering the US under recently enacted legislation, removing an earlier exemption.
Belgian firm Vandenbulcke has introduced ChoVita, the first chocolate brand in Europe that makes a cocoa flavanol health claim that it is 'good for your blood flow'.
Collaborative research by Fair Trade USA and Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) suggests 59% of consumers recognize the Fair Trade Certified label, compared to 38% in 2012.
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.
Mondelēz International‘s cocoa sourcing manager for Asia and Mars’ Vietnam cocoa manager are among the speakers at the 2nd annual Cocoa Revolution conference.
UK Fairtrade candy company Divine Chocolate hopes to grow in mainland Europe's leading retailers and is considering expanding its cocoa sourcing to create a single-origin range, says the firm's managing director.
Consuming cocoa flavanols may interact with the gut microbiota as a way of preventing metabolic syndrome or easing the condition’s symptoms, a review has concluded.
Cocoa off-flavors can be avoided by fermenting beans in sealed vacuumed bags inside an incubator with yeast starter cultures, claims Mars in a patent application
Adding a mangosteen fruit by-product to cheaper low cocoa chocolates could improve their nutritional content without compromising flavour, researchers have discovered.
Barry Callebaut has posted increased volumes and revenue in the first quarter of financial year 2015/16 despite declines in the global chocolate confectionery market.
Hershey has launched a contest calling for companies to help it develop a lightweight, affordable shipping system that will keep chocolate cool even in the warmest months.
A civil lawsuit accusing Nestlé, Cargill and ADM of aiding and abetting child slavery on Ivorian cocoa farms has again thwarted attempts to have the case thrown.
