ETHICAL COCOA SOURCING
Using pulp from the cocoa fruit as a filling helps reduce waste and enables cocoa farmers to make more profit.
Leading by example
Suzanne Callander reports on progress being made across the chocolate industry in relation to ethical practices and sustainable cocoa production.
T
he chocolate industry has not always had a great reputation when it comes to ethical practices and sustainability. For too long cocoa farmers have not received their fair share of profits, while the use of child labour and deforestation to make way for
cocoa plantations has been rife. The good news is that change for the better is continuing to happen. Working across the entire cocoa supply chain, Cargill
highlighted its aim of connecting with cocoa farmers, their households, farming organisations, and other sector stakeholders to build more resilient farming businesses, strong rural communities and to protect natural resources. “Through comprehensive training and one-on-one coaching
programs we are equipping cocoa farms and organisations to adopt more sustainable production methods, so trees are healthier and their incomes are higher,” says Kate Clancy, Group Sustainability Director at Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. Cargill is also working with partners to implement solutions related to income generation, healthcare and nutrition, and education – efforts that help address child labour and other human rights issues and improve access to economic opportunities for women and young farmers. “Building a more resilient cocoa sector also requires a
transparent cocoa supply chain with 100% traceability that starts in the farmer’s field,” continues Kate. To achieve this Cargill has combined geo-technologies to polygon map cocoa farms with digital management systems that barcode and track bags of cocoa from the plantation to its production facilities. “This gives us visibility into the entire supply chain, helping us map farms, trace cocoa, assess deforestation risk and engage
28 Kennedy’s Confection December 2022/January 2023
suppliers. In 2021, 70% of farmers in our cocoa direct supply chain were mapped this way. We are also engaging third-party suppliers to help better understand and address human rights and deforestation-related risks in supply chains,” adds Kate. Alongside physical transparency, Cargill has also prioritised
financial transparency. In 2021, for example, more than 56,000 farmers were registered in mobile banking systems. “Banking digitally makes payments safer and more transparent, and also gives farmers access to other financial services to help manage their business and support their entrepreneurial goals,” Kate points out. Cargill’s CocoaWise interactive digital reporting platform
serves as the central hub for its sustainability metrics. It offers data from 170,000 smallholder farmers in Cargill’s direct sourcing network, helping cocoa farmers and farming organisations make interventions to further professionalise their farming practices and giving chocolatiers clear information on where cocoa comes from, how it is produced, and how sustainability investments are supporting improvements. “This makes it possible for our customers to see the origin of their sustainable cocoa ingredient and chocolate purchases, track how their financial investments are used, and monitor the positive progress and impacts being made in cocoa growing communities,” concludes Kate.
Life-changing impact Puratos and Belcolade developed Cacao-Trace in a bid to make life-changing impact in the communities in which they work. Youri Dumont, SBU Chocolate Director at Puratos, explains the steps that are being taken: “Inclusivity is integral to our philosophy. We created Cacao-Trace to create tangible value
KennedysConfection.com
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