Mondelēz International has announced that certification body FLOCERT will join Havard University in verifying the chocolate firm’s cocoa sustainability program Cocoa Life.
Cocoa processors now have access to a futures contract that specifies the quality and physical delivery of cocoa in the same conventions as are used in the underlying cocoa market that they are active in, according to CME Group, the exchange behind the...
CME Group has launched the first euro-denominated cocoa futures contract, which it claims provides improved hedging mechanisms that better reflect the physical cocoa market.
Asia’s cocoa grind dropped 17.2% in the fourth quarter after an economic slowdown in China, adding another cocoa processing decline to the world jigsaw.
The world’s third largest cocoa processor Olam has agreed to pay a fine of $3m for alleged mistrading of cocoa futures but has refused to admit wrongdoing.
Weak fourth quarter cocoa grinds in developed markets suggest that consumers have reacted negatively to wholesale chocolate price hikes from the major brands, according to an analyst.
Recommending intense sweeteners as a way to reduce sugar intakes cannot be justified as a public health strategy, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has concluded.
The leading cocoa processors say they will support brand manufacturers to achieve fully sustainable cocoa, but decline to publicly set their own targets.
A Mars-backed study has provided further evidence that high cocoa flavanol consumption may help improve cognitive function, possibly through changes to insulin sensitivity.
Olam’s $1.3bn deal to acquire ADM Cocoa is likely to have little impact on the price of cocoa ingredients for chocolate makers because grinding capacity is still concentrated with three players.
International Chocolate Award winner Chocolaterie Robert says that fine chocolates, like fine wine, should process the main commodity freshly and at origin.
The Food Empowerment Project has called on US chocolate makers to list cocoa country of origin on pack so consumers can avoid brands that use cocoa from West Africa, where it claims unlawful child labor is common.
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.
Special Edition: Cutting calories in confectionery
Chocolate makers must completely replace sugar and reduce fat content to a legal minimum to be able to make a ‘light in calories’ claim in the EU, according to Barry Callebaut.
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.
Cocoa production in Peru is set to rise 5% in calendar year 2014 and increases in planting will see the country become a key cocoa exporter in the coming years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The European Cocoa Association (ECA) says mandatory origin labeling of cocoa products is pointless and could even lead to a 30% price hike in consumer chocolate prices.
Cocoa powder demand for use in compound confectionery coatings is rising rapidly in Asia and Eastern Europe as rising cocoa butter prices up the cost of chocolate manufacturing.
Confectionery giants Mondelēz International, Nestlé and Mars must do far more to ensure women are not blocked from day-to-day commercial cocoa operations because of issues like land rights, according to a report commissioned by Oxfam.
Seattle-based Theo Chocolate has launched the first functional ingredient from its subsidiary Theo Innovations. Called Violetamine, the product is an extract of cocoa high in polyphenols and theobromine.
The Fairtrade Foundation has urged food companies and retailers to choose Fairtrade sugar, amid concerns that a sugar price slump and CAP reforms could push thousands of workers into poverty.
A Mars-supported study suggests that cocoa flavanols in a functional drink may reverse age-related memory decline, but the same effect may not be true in chocolate.
Certified cocoa bodies can co-exist with an international standard for sustainable cocoa that will be finalized in 2016, according to delegates at the World Cocoa Foundation’s partnership meeting.
Danish confectioner Toms says its Ekstra chocolate brand that only uses tray fermented cocoa has proved that an initiative to support farmers and improve bean quality can also turn a profit.
A voluntary framework for sustainable cocoa that could help align industry efforts will be introduced by the end of 2016, say those behind the standard.
Chocolate companies and certification organizations can get better productivity gains by improving underperforming cocoa farmers rather than rewarding top producers, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Ebola is a huge humanitarian concern for the cocoa and chocolate industry, but contrary to some reports it is not yet having a major business impact for big chocolate players like Mars and Mondelēz.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched an appeal for $30m (€23,72m) to support food supply resilience and recovery in the three African countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, where long-term impacts on food security are...
Food industry ‘tinkering’ with sugar content while foods and drinks remain relatively high in sugar may detract from more basic sugar reduction strategies, warns a public health expert.
Cocoa Ingredients supplier Transmar has called on cocoa and chocolate companies to make a donation to the Red Cross or Caritas to combat the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa.
The chocolate industry’s biggest players will discuss how to move forward on cocoa sustainability at the World Cocoa Foundation’s meeting in Copenhagen next week. ConfectioneryNews will be there to bring you the latest.
Mondelēz International will stop manufacturing from its Cadbury Kenya plant at the end of this month as it shifts capacity for Cadbury Drinking Chocolate to Egypt.
