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A Crisis in Cocoa? AAK technology and the Shea tree could help
AAK will be showcasing its innovative cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) at the London Chocolate Forum 2024, offering sustainable, cost- effective solutions to the ongoing global cocoa crisis.
I
t is no secret that there is currently a ‘Crisis in Cocoa’ globally with cocoa prices rising from $2500/ton to over $7500/ton within a year. Cocoa butter, the key cost component of
chocolate, has risen in an even more spectacular fashion from $6000 to over $30,000/ton!
The reasons are well documented with heavy rains that led to an extremely poor harvest in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Also, these rains led to the spread of crop diseases, black pod and swollen shoot, such that several regions harvested nearly 40% less than expectations. As West Africa accounts for nearly three quarters of the world’s production of cocoa, US and Europe stockpiles are at a three-year low and global demand for chocolate continues to increase, it is no surprise to see this market reaction. Although African governments are paying farmers up to 50% more to try and stimulate supply, long term supply risks continue years to bear fruit, and there have been decades of underinvestment. Some farmers have decided to quit altogether, preferring to bet on more
lucrative and weather-resistant crops such as rubber that give a regular monthly income versus the two harvests for cocoa.
The EU Deforestation Regulation, which applies to cocoa and chocolate and is due to be in force by the end of the year, has added more complications for chocolate producers. This mandates a system of proof, based around land maps where cocoa is grown, to show no deforestation has occurred.
Cocoa Butter Equivalents (CBE) of such high quality can be made that are indistinguishable from cocoa butter in terms of functionality and performance. If approximately 25% of the cocoa butter in milk chocolate is replaced by one of these CBEs such that no more than 5% of the overall chocolate comes can still be labelled as ‘chocolate’ in the EU. However, if the label of
Critically, CBEs cost much less than half the cost of current cocoa butter prices
and also have a lower carbon footprint”
One solution to this crisis originates in West Africa itself and is based on a wild, sustainable, deforestation free crop called shea. Shea kernels are harvested entirely by hand and almost exclusively by women, in some of the most impoverished and dangerous countries in the world such as Bukino Faso.
When oil fractions made from Shea Kernels are combined with
8 Kennedy’s Confection August/September 2024
‘chocolate’ is not needed, perhaps if the chocolate is used as a coating or as an ingredient, then all of the cocoa butter can be replaced by a high-end CBE such as Illexao SC 70 from AAK, to make a so called ‘super compound’ chocolate that is indistinguishable from chocolate in taste, texture and functionality. Critically, CBEs cost much less than half the cost of current cocoa butter prices and also have
a lower carbon footprint. CBEs made with shea from AAK’s Kolo Nafaso programme directly women and their families in education, fuel stoves and many as heat stability and bloom resistance. They can even provide functionality for the very latest startup technologies to replace cocoa itself, such as fava bean, fermented oat or carob-based products. Of course, all AAK CBEs will be fully compliant with the relevant EU and proposed UK Deforestation regulations. AAK is a global provider of
plant-based oils and fats technology operating in over 100 countries, with over 4000 employees working in over 20 production facilities, and 16 customer innovation centres. We focus on solving issues in the food and non-food industries, by directly co-developing sustainable solutions with our customers. Listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has been Making Better Happen™ for more than 150 years.
KennedysConfection.com
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