On-farm implementation of cocoa bean starter cultures could aid the production of chocolate with a more consistent flavour, according to a new study from a team Belgian researchers and Barry Callebaut.
EU and US cocoa grinds have fallen significantly in the second quarter (Q2), but one analyst puts this down to the developing Asian market eating up a greater share of global supplies.
Barry Callebaut has received a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for a health claim linking cocoa to improved blood flow in news that has been welcomed by the broader confectionery industry.
Fairtrade product sales rose 12% worldwide in 2011 due to ethical sourcing commitments from the food and drink industry and increased consumer awareness.
The Danish government is considering reversing its decision to impose a tax on saturated fat in food and may also abandon plans to introduce a similar sugar tax.
We've all heard the statistics - almost 36% of Americans are now obese. But 50 years ago, it was just 13%. So why did we get so fat, so quickly? And what role did sugar - and specifically high fructose corn syrup - have to play?
The number of new products sweetened with stevia extracts in the EU shows a “significant uplift” on last year according to David Jago, Mintel director of innovation and insight.
High purity stevia volume sales at PureCircle have increased by more than 20% year-on-year, PureCircle reported in a pre-close update for the second half of its financial year.
Chocolate manufacturers will risk a poorer quality final product unless they trace what happens to cocoa beans before they reach their factories, say researchers.
Barry Callebaut has announced that it is to spend $1 million (€833,000) on a Center of Cocoa Excellence in the Ivory Coast in a bid to double cocoa yields from farms in the key growing region.
The EU sugar supply is constrained and the confectionery industry is nervous about upcoming sugar reforms, according to Nestlé’s procurement head, who is also chair of a UK sugar users group.
An investigation from the Fair Labor Association (FLA) has unearthed multiple serious violations of Nestlé’s supplier code, particularly through the use of children on cocoa farms.
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?
Hershey plans to increase the amount of cocoa it sources from Mexico by initiating a $2.8m crop growing programme in partnership with Ecom Cocoa that it says will boost yields in Southern Mexico.
The Blommer Chocolate Company has established the joint venture firm GrowCocoa with ingredients supplier Olam International to allow the companies to move into Latin America and new cocoa origins in Africa.
Confectioners in Europe are under threat from an MEP’s report proposing to postpone abolishing EU sugar quotas until 2020, according to industry bodies whose members include Mars, Nestlé, Kraft and Ferrero.
The candy industry and sugar growers are both claiming at least a partial victory after the US Senate voted 50-46 to shelve an amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill that would have repealed the current sugar program.
Urgent action was necessary to avoid the “bleak situation” of a serious global shortage of cocoa supplies within a decade, Fiona Dawson, president of Mars Chocolate UK, warned yesterday (June 12).
Partnerships will be crucial in tackling the supply chain challenges in the surging cocoa and chocolate industry – this was the key message at Barry Callebaut’s Chocovision conference.
German confectioners are uneasy about their prospects in 2012 as EU sugar prices threaten financial results, according to a survey from German confectionery association BDSI.
Worldwide sugar prices have fallen in the second quarter (Q2) of 2012 as the market is projected to record a surplus for the next two seasons, according to Rabobank International.
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) anticipates a lower than expected global cocoa shortage in the 2011/12 season due to ideal weather conditions and higher grinds in some cocoa producing countries.
Confectionery giant Mars has made ‘significant’ progress in fulfilling its pledge to purchase its cocoa supply from certified sustainable sources after it announced plans to purchase nearly 90,000 tons of sustainable cocoa in 2012.
A consecutive deficit in 2012/13 is set to move cocoa prices higher as supply struggles to meet rising demand for chocolate products in Asia, according to financial services group Rabobank.
Sugar users have said they are disappointed that both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees have voted to advance the 2012 Farm Bill without amending current sugar policy, which they claim costs the US food industry by inflating domestic sugar prices.
The European Commission has cleared the acquisition of the world’s largest sugar trader ED&F MAN by Europe’s largest sugar producer Südzucker and said it would raise no competition concerns on one condition.
Canada-based refinery NovaGreen has announced plans to produce sugar substitute xylitol over the next two years to supply confectioners in North America.
Twice as much UTZ certified cocoa was sold to producers in 2011 compared to the previous year as demand for sustainable cocoa soared in Germany, according to the recently published UTZ Certified Annual Report 2011.
The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), has entered a public-private partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to target 5,000 children in child-labour or at high risk of falling into child labour on cocoa farms in West Africa.
Imperial Sugar Company reported a net loss of $6.5m in the second quarter, compared to a net profit of $4.2m in the prior year period, while net sales were up 5.6%.
Singapore-based firm Petra Foods has forecast that sales in its cocoa ingredients division will decline after revenues fell in its first quarter (Q1) results provoked by cheaper cocoa bean prices.
Cacao pod husks – a major by-product of cocoa processing – could provide industry with a new, environmentally friendly source of pectin, say researchers.
Demand for cocoa is expected to climb 30% in the next 10 years creating a 25% shortage of current supply, according to North American cocoa processor and chocolate ingredients supplier Blommer Chocolate Company.
A division of the World Bank has acquired a stake in cocoa trader Armajaro Trading to support sustainable farming practices and improve traceability within its supply chains.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has expanded its partnership with the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) in a bid to boost cocoa production in developing countries and improve livelihoods for cocoa farmers.
Chocolate giant Hershey has announced plans to use GPS mapping for cocoa farms in Ghana to help farmers better manage their resources as labour groups continue to doubt the company’s commitments to eradicate the worst forms of cocoa child labour.
Archer Daniel Midland’s (ADM) oversaw strong performance in its cocoa segment despite a fall in profits for the whole group in its third quarter results.
New methods for measuring the stereochemical forms of flavanols in cocoa that could determine whether health benefits can be derived have moved a step closer, say Mars.
Finnish company Fazer has set a target to certify its entire cocoa supply by 2017 to ensure its cocoa comes from traceable sources and is free from the worst forms of child labour.
Chocolate manufacturers will face a serious cocoa supply shortage unless they work to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and allow them to invest in sustainable production, according to an academic.
Cargill has added a center of expertise to its cocoa processing facility in Wormer, the Netherlands and automated warehousing at the Port of Amsterdam following a €57m ($82m) investment.
