CONFECTIONERY NEWS - Jutta Urpilainen (European Union Commissioner for International Partnerships) delivered a keynote address to the World Cocoa Foundation's Partnership Meeting mapping out the EC's new multi-stakeholder dialogue to improve sustainability in the cocoa sector. The session also included a panel discussion, moderated by Heidi Hautala (European Parliament Vice President) on how EU interventions can most effectively drive action to eliminate child labour, protect and restore forests, and ensure a living income for cocoa farmers. Read More

CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTION - US-based Mars Wrigley has released its 2020 Cocoa for Generations report, updating progress on its $1 billion investment over a decade on its drive to ensure 100% sustainability for its cocoa sourcing in key markets of Ghana and Ivory Coast, reports Neill Barston Read More

FOOD BEV - Cargill has launched CocoaWise, a digital portal for food and beverage manufacturers, which aims to boost transparency in the company's cocoa supply chain. Read More

REUTERS - Ivory Coast (Reuters) - Ivory Coast has raised the fixed farmgate price paid to cocoa farmers more than 21% to 1,000 CFA Francs ($1.80) per kg for the main crop of the 2020/2021 season starting Thursday, President Alassane Ouattara said. Read More

EU REPORTER - On 22 September, the European Commission began an initiative to improve sustainability in the cocoa sector. A new multi-stakeholder dialogue will bring together representatives of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana – the two main cocoa producing countries accounting for 70% of global cocoa production – as well as representatives of the European Parliament, EU member states, cocoa growers and civil society. Read More

JUST FOOD - For almost 20 years, attempts to tackle the issue of child labour in cocoa production have over-promised and under-delivered. As the multi-stakeholder International Cocoa Initiative launches an ambitious five-year strategy, Ben Cooper examines why this time things could  be different. Read More

FOOD INGREDIENTS FIRST - Barry Callebaut has reached a new milestone in its plan to build a sustainable cocoa supply chain by disclosing its direct cocoa suppliers in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon. The map shows the location of cooperatives and buying stations where Barry Callebaut is directly sourcing cocoa. By publicly sharing this information, the cocoa and chocolate giant says it’s boosting transparency and traceability in its cocoa supply chain. Read More

VOICE OF AMERICA - Experts say an international convention universally ratified in August will give children legal protection against the worst forms of child labor. In Ghana, children are still used in hazardous labor, especially in fisheries and the cocoa industry. One Ghanaian non-governmental organization is making a difference by rescuing children from work and getting them into school. Read More

CONFECTIONERY NEWS - Striving to create fairer conditions for farmers in major producing nations serving the confectionery sector remains at the core of World Cocoa Foundation’s (WCF) values. It was 20 years ago this month that the not-for-profit organisation was bestowed with its present title, having been set up just a few years earlier by the US Chocolate Manufacturers’ Association and its related group, the American Cocoa Research Institute. Read More

FOOD INGREDIENTS FIRST - Consumers are increasingly keen to learn more about the bean-to-bar journey of cocoa products. To meet this end, traceable technology and cooperation throughout the supply chain help improve the quality of cocoa, strengthen farmer relationships and improve ingredient sourcing monitorization. FoodIngredientsFirst examines future perspectives of investing in traceability, the impact of brand storytelling and the pros and cons of transparency with experts from Cargill and Olam. Read More