A panel of experts recommend that more countries be
recognised as fine or flavour cocoa producing countries in order to
provide new opportunities for trade.
A UK-based pressure group campaign against companies
that buy cocoa from the Ivory Coast has accused
the industry of funding conflict and civil unrest.
US based cocoa producer Cargill has developed a new method of
processing cocoa which allows for reduced fat content and greater
dispersibility in cocoa powder.
Chocolate giant Mars has filed a lawsuit against Natraceutical,
alleging that the Spanish company is infringing its patents on
polyphenol-rich cocoa extracts by selling CocoanOX extracts in the
United States.
Barry Callebaut has produced a new website entirely devoted to
promoting the nutritional benefits of cocoa in an effort to
counteract the increasingly unhealthy image of chocolate products
and their unpopularity in a health-conscious...
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has revised its gloomy
cocoa estimate of a 5,000 tonne deficit to predict a global surplus
of 80,000 tonnes of cocoa in the coming year, assuring
manufacturers of a steady supply.
Singapore-based cocoa bean supplier Olam has jointly acquired the
Cameroon cocoa processor Usicam with ADM, the world's largest cocoa
processor, giving both firms greater economy of scale in the
African market.
The Malaysian cocoa board expects 2005 to set a new record for
cocoa exports, exceeding RM 2 billion ($530 million), thanks to
increased global consumption and access to new markets.
Prices for cocoa remain relatively volatile as political unrest in
Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global cocoa crops,
keeps the market nervous.
Cocoa prices have leapt in London, driven by fears that instability
in Ivory Coast, that produces some 40 per cent of global crops,
could impact supplies.