Another milestone has been achieved in the UTZ certified sustainable cocoa programme, with the first-ever shipment of cocoa beans from Ghana that meets that standard’s economic, environmental and social criteria.
ADM Cocoa has opened a new technical centre in Germany, where its customers can go to experiment with flavour, mouthfeel and shelf-life of their chocolate-containing products.
Leading industrial chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut has opened its first cocoa pilot plant in North America, a move that follows its reported objective to grow its chocolate volume sales by between 6 to 8 per cent up to 2013.
The food industry and cocoa traders have welcomed the EU decision to lift sanctions on the Ivory Coast ports and other Ivorian entities following an end to the crisis in the cocoa growing country.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Monday that it will increase sugar imports by 325,000 short tons in fiscal 2011 – a move that has been welcomed by sweetener users.
Cocoa farming has been a contributor to deforestation and degradation in West Africa due to limited fertilizer use as well as outdated crop husbandry methods, claim two research groups in a newly published study in Environmental Management.
Sugar policy reform is back on the US legislative agenda, as two new bills that aim to end the sugar price support program have attracted broad food industry support.
Fears that almost 500,000 tonnes of cocoa beans stored in warehouses in the Ivory Coast would deteriorate are now subsiding with the perception that a political resolution is imminent in the cocoa growing country, according to Rabobank
Strong performance in emerging markets and a strategic focus on customer segmentation rather than individual products have driven Barry Callebaut to record half year profits.
There is still sufficient cocoa available on the market, despite political turmoil in the Ivory Coast situation, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) said yesterday, although there are concerns over cocoa damage over long storage periods.
The recent Ghana-Liberia agriculture pact is unlikely to have a major impact on the global cocoa industry; whereas Nigeria is a region to watch, according to Euromonitor.
EU food industry representatives have termed ‘premature’ the proposal by the European Commission (EC) to allow 650,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar exports from October.
Alkali processing causes a loss of up to 98 per cent on epicatechin in the final chocolate based product, claims Hershey company based scientists evaluating the effect of conventional production methods of cocoa beans on flavanols levels.
Leading cocoa processor and exporter, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), said it has suspended cocoa plant operations in the Ivory Coast and is shifting production elsewhere, due to heightened political tensions in the West African producer country.
The potential of polyphenol compounds in cocoa to reduce blood pressure is related to genotype, suggests a new nutrigenomic study that deepens our understanding of the cardiovascular benefits of cocoa.
As the market and industry weighs the impact of turmoil in Ivory Coast on cocoa supply and tightness in sugar trade continues, we talk to Rabobank analyst Keith Flury to see whether there will be any let up in commodity commotion in 2011.
A federal appeals court in San Francisco has overturned a previous ruling to destroy genetically modified (GM) sugar beets, ruling in favor of Monsanto and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The market for the sweetener sucralose is poised for growth, with global production expected to top 15,000 tonnes by 2018, according to the world’s second largest sucralose producer.
A European Commission initiative to release 500,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar onto the EU market has been backed by member states in the EU sugar management committee today.
The delivery of Cargill’s first UTZ Certified beans from Vietnam marks an important milestone for the company in its bid to establish the region as a new origin country for cocoa, said the ingredients giant.
Sugar supplier to the bakery and confectionery industry, Ragus, said it expects further commodity price hikes and contests whether proposed EC intervention on import duty tariff reductions would have the desired effect on the deficit in the EU market.
Industrial chocolate supplier, Blommer Chocolate, said it is set to receive a record-breaking shipment of cocoa beans containing a large percentage of sustainably farmed and Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, despite political turmoil in the region.
New research from Spain finds that polyphenol-enriched cocoa powder could be used as a functional ingredient to reduce oxidative stress in the elderly.
The NutraSweet Company's sales of high intensity sweetener neotame grew by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2010 – and the same percentage is expected this year as sugar prices are expected to keep rising due to short supplies.
Cocoa prices have remained stable over the past two weeks despite the Ivory Coast export ban with industry analysts citing good industry supply cover and access to plentiful crop from Ghana as factors for the lack of price volatility.
A novel cocoa cultivation method and a new approach to fermentation are resulting in cocoa beans with enhanced quality, claims industrial chocolate supplier, Barry Callebaut.
The food and drink sugar users lobby has warned the European Commission that any further delays in intervention to remedy the sugar deficit in the market could result in even greater supply repercussions this autumn.
Leading cocoa supplier, Archer Daniel Midlands (ADM), has confirmed that it is keeping its cocoa processing plant in Kumasi, Ghana open in spite of challenges related to acquiring light crop beans for processing.
The European Commission, in a policy about face, said it may open the import quota or allow the sale of out-of-quota sugar into the bloc - a move that would bring relief for bakers and other food makers set to negotiate new sugar contracts.
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a new bipartisan bill in the Senate this week intended to phase out the sugar support program, claiming sugar prices are artificially high and cost American jobs.
The deficit in the EU sugar supply could put production at risk for confectioners and other food and drink industry users of the commodity if market intervention does not occur, said Irish trade body FDII, who are calling on the EC to keep out-of-quota...
The potential heart health benefits of polyphenol-rich cocoa powder may be related to a ‘novel mechanism’ of boosting HDL (good) cholesterol, says a new study from Japan.
Leading maker of bulk chocolate, Barry Callebaut, has bought and exported the cocoa beans it needs to fulfill its processing needs, said a company spokesperson in reaction to the suspension of Ivory Coast exports.
Lack of clarity on the implications for the cocoa industry of the financial penalities imposed by the EU on the Ivory Coast has prompted trade representatives in the bloc to seek additional information from the Commission.
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is currently assessing the impact of an explosion that occurred on a production line at its cocoa processing facility in Wormer, Netherlands, which was followed by a short, intense fire.
Imperial Sugar Company returned to profit during fiscal 2010 as its Port Wentworth refinery continued to boost production following a 2008 explosion, although its losses widened in Q4, the company said.
Delivery of cocoa bean supplies to ports in the Ivory Coast appears to be unaffected by the recent political turmoil following last month’s election in the West African country.
With a larger crop and only modest growth in use, prices are expected to fall in 2011, according to Rabobank in its latest Agri Commodity market report. However further escalation of conflict in the Ivory Coast could send cocoa prices higher.
The Commission is failing to recognise the urgency of the sugar supply deficit in the EU in its deferral of a decision regarding the hike in the sugar export quota until January, claims the CIUS, which represents sugar using food and drink industries...
Flavanol compounds derived from cocoa may boost the populations of beneficial bacteria in the intestine, says a new study from Mars and the University of Reading.
A new minimum price for Fairtrade organic cocoa, which comes into force early next year, will act as an income safety net for growers amid ongoing price volatility in the sector, according to the organization behind the standard.
Rabobank has warned that cocoa prices will respond if there is a return to civil war in the Ivory Coast as this could impede cocoa exports onto the world market.
Manufacturers waiting to find out whether they will be allowed to use terms including ‘no added salt’ and ‘low-Gi’ under the EU health claims Regulation will now have to wait until next year for a decision, it has emerged.
The CIUS is calling for the European Commission to act now to keep sugar supplies within the EU market rather than export the sweetener, with it claiming that EU based confectioners and other food and drink manufacturers are facing sugar supply difficulties.
