Category: Certification

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Kraft Likes Deal with Rainforest Alliance

Kraft, the global food giant, likes the deal it struck with the Rainforest Alliance. So much so, it expanded its commitment to purchase RA certified cocoa from 3,000 to 30,000 by 2012. It’s the first major food giant in Europe to carry the RA seal. That’s still a drop in the bucket given the amount of cocoa it buys but, hey, it’s something. So look for Côte d’Or chocolate with the RA label. Still no fairtrade commitment, though. It seems U.S. based corporations have a really difficulty time with fairtrade. So far, Cadbury stands alone with its fairtrade commitment in Europe. Let’s hope that Kraft’s attempt to buy Cadbury won’t pan out.

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Cadbury Expands Fairtrade Commitment

Cadburys Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars (Fair Trade)
Cadburys Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars (Fair Trade)

According to Tim Newman’s blog entry at the International Labor Rights Forum, Cadbury has announced that it expand its sourcing of fairtrade cocoa beans. By 2010, all Dairy Milk bars sold in Canada, New Zealand and Australia will be fairtrade certified. That’s great news and a further sign of Cadbury’s commitment to improve the lives of cocoa farmers. I only wish that U.S. chocolate corporations would pledge the same instead of dodging the question.

This decision comes on the heals of its decision to discontinue the use of vegetable oil as a substitute for cocoa butter in Australia and New Zealand. Using cocoa butter not only makes the chocolate taste better, it also increased the amount of cocoa bought to make a bar. Cadbury is obviously on the right track. Maybe the current corporate leadership has discovered some of the company’s Quaker heritage.

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Competing Labels Confuse Consumers

It was only a question of time before large corporations discovered that there’s money to be made in the “ethical” market. Just like as they turned “organic” into “industrial organic,” corporate interests are looking for the legitimacy of an “ethical” label without having to pay the extra cost or engage with the underlying principles. Here’s a great article on the topic.

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Cadbury’s Fair Trade Bar Makes Its Debut

Cadburys Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars (Fair Trade)
Cadburys Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars (Fair Trade)

After promising to source fairtrade beans for its  flagship Dairy Milk bar, Cadbury made good. On July 21, the first Fairtrade Dairy Milk bars started coming off the production line in Bourneville. Within days, these bars will appear in shops all over the UK and Ireland. It’s the first time that a mainstream chocolate brand has switched to fairtrade.

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