A multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together more than 70 members from cocoa suppliers, chocolate manufacturers, traders, retailers, NGOs, research institutions as well as the Swiss Government, the Platform’s annual meeting was an opportunity to discuss...
The brand celebrated its entry into the US market with a successful showing at the Sweets & Snacks Expo 2022 in Chicago. We talk to Eliza G Jahn, Head of Marketing at Katjes USA, to pick over some of the highlights of the event.
German chocolate specialist Ritter Sport has partnered with Dufry and Zürich Airport for a month-long ‘Colourful World of Chocolate’ activation centred on its lovable sloth mascot Don Choco.
Mars is dipping its toes into the emerging animal-free dairy space with the launch of a lactose-free milk chocolate brand called CO2COA featuring Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa and Perfect Day’s non-animal whey protein, which is made by genetically...
Connecticut-based healthy snack food brand GoodSam Foods has announced a new venture with Colombian chocolate manufacturer Luker Chocolate to boost educational programmes in cocoa communities.
A new innovation-driven partnership launched by Fairtrade International, Fairtrade Africa, and digital solutions provider Farmforce is set to extend the deployment of a smart data management system to more than two dozen cocoa cooperatives in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Hershey Company’s evolution from sustainability to integrating ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) priorities into its business strategy and operations continues with the sharing of its 2021 ESG Report.
Research reveals Fairtrade Standards, Fairtrade pricing, and producer support programmes positively impact certified farmers and their communities when compared to non-Fairtrade certified farmers, particularly in times of difficulty and distress.
Nestlé said it will continue to work with all stakeholders to ‘help protect and restore forests, promote sustainable cocoa production and thriving communities, and create a forest positive future for all’.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has insisted the Green Deal, which contains the landmark Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, will remain a key priority despite the conflict in Ukraine.
Barry Callebaut made its presence felt at this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo 2022 with a major announcement on its plans for expansion of its latest plant-based line by adding dairy-free organic chocolate to its North American portfolio, while also...
Dialogue between The Cocoa Coalition (CC) and the European Commission and EU member states is continuing with news that the CC welcomes latest proposals by the governments of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana for an Economic Pact for Sustainable Cocoa.
John Downs, National Confectioners Association (NCA) President and CEO, reflects on 25 years of Sweets & Snacks as the Expo successfully returns to Chicago with renewed energy and looks forward to a bright future.
The Oreo and Cadbury owner has published its 2021 Snacking Made Right Report, which highlights progress against its short- and long-term ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals.
Peru is the world's ninth largest cocoa producer (roughly 71,175 tons a year) and the world’s largest organic cocoa producer, and it is now on a mission to develop a deforestation-free supply chain by 2025, making it ready for new European market...
Swiss-Ghanaian start-up Koa has secured two major investments to scale up its impact in the cocoa sector by successfully completing its Series A round raising a total of $4.7 million in equity – and a $3.5 million investment from climate adaptation and...
The Rainforest Alliance, CDP, Clarmondial, Conservation International, and USAID announce a transformational public-private ‘Business Case’ partnership to reduce cocoa and other commodity-driven deforestation, and contribute to global climate and biodiversity...
Olam food ingredients (ofi) is one of the world’s largest cocoa bean suppliers with a leading presence in 10 key producing countries across Africa, Asia and South America. It has published its 2021 Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Report to share...
The Fairtrade Foundation has released a new report revealing key insights into factors it says can “either enable or jeopardise the ability of cocoa co-operatives to create and fairly distribute positive benefits to their farmer members.”
Divine Chocolate, the only Fairtrade and B Corp certified chocolate company to be co-owned by cocoa farmers, has said it has strengthened farmer empowerment initiatives and has joined multi-stakeholder Agroforestry project with HALBA in Switzerland.
The World Cocoa Conference has been postponed for the third time after organisers International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) cited uncertainties of holding a global gathering in Bali with the potential of more travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19...
Mars Incorporated has announced two ‘groundbreaking’ programmes in a new effort by a major chocolate company to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers.
Two influential Washington-based organisations from the cocoa and confectionery industry have called for more stringent regulations in the cocoa supply chain regarding forest conservation.
Fairtrade International has announced Sandra Uwera will become its new Global CEO following the departure of Dr Nyagoy Nyong’o, who served as Interim Global CEO until last month.
British high street artisan Fudge makers, Fudge Kitchen, has announced a major rebrand across its entire product range, shop fronts & website to push its sustainability credentials.
Ahead of World Earth Day (22 April), UK chewing gum brand Milliways is calling for the government to introduce a new policy that would reduce single-use plastic pollution and educate consumers about the potentially harmful ingredients used in mainstream...
Blommer Chocolate, the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America, has announced Carolin Fesenberg will become its new Director of Cocoa Sustainability.
A California federal judge has refused to grant a motion to dismiss a proposed class action accusing Nestlé USA of allegedly deceptively marketing its chocolate products as sustainably sourced despite obtaining cocoa from farms reliant on child slave...
The company has published its ‘Chocolate Foodprint’ for 2021-22, which leads the way for artisan brands in transparency and regeneration in the cocoa sector. We talk to Philipp Kauffmann, the company’s founder.
Beneo welcomes this year’s theme for World Heath Day (7 April) – highlighting the innate relationship between the consumer’s wellbeing and that of the Earth – noting it aligns with its recent research that found flexitarians are driving the demand for...
British chocolate brands H!P Chocolate and Love Cocoa (both founded by James Cadbury, the great-great-great grandson of the original Mr Cadbury) are hosting their first ever London pop-up this week.
We are nowhere near on track to keep global warning below 2°C, was the stark conclusion of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. But hope was also on offer. FoodNavigator looks at how food system transformation can help mitigate...
The Malaysian palm oil sector is calling for the implementation of better branding and consumer communication strategies to increase its marketability, saying that providing high quality and sustainable products is not enough to achieve export recognition.
The European Cocoa Association (ECA) has announced the opening of registrations for its European Cocoa Forum, which takes place from 13 to 15 September 2022 in Rome.
ConfectioneryNews talked to Jose Puyana, ProColombia's Regional Director for Europe, ahead of a Trade Mission to the UK (31 March to 3 April) to attend the London Coffee Festival, where cocoa producers will be also in attendance.
The Swiss-Ghanaian start-up, best known for its upcycling of cocoa side streams, has partnered with seedtrace and MTN Group to ‘disrupt transparency standards’ in cocoa.
Popular UK high street company Fudge Kitchen has announced it has signed a deal with Colombian cocoa supplier Luker Chocolate in order to make its supply chain ethics and sustainability practices more visible to consumers.
MIA, short for Made in Africa, is branching out from its base in Madagascar to work with cocoa farmers in West Africa. Co-founder Brett Beach tells ConfectioneryNews the reasons behind the move – and also provides an update on the situation on the island...
Ethical British chocolate company Love Cocoa has extended its Easter offering with a new Luxury Giant Milk Chocolate Egg and a Luxury Half & Half Egg, both containing the brand’s signature Salted Caramel Truffles.
The Cocoa Coalition has broadly welcomed the European Commission's proposed Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, saying 'we regard it as a genuinely ground-breaking legislative proposal'.
In its Annual Report for 2021, Nestlé said it has the ability to deliver and scale meaningful innovations that meet changing consumer tastes, respond to the growing interest worldwide in nutritional health solutions and contribute to sustainability.
CARE, a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty with a focus on working alongside women and girls, has announced a new initiative to help transform cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire.
In a row over the impending European Commission’s deforestation law, African smallholder cocoa farmers say European organisations do not speak on their behalf and claim their proposal risks damaging their livelihoods.
An Italian supply chain expert has slated the European Union for its ‘discriminatory’ policies against palm oil, highlighting the impossibility of finding an alternative for the commodity in the short term.