Mars Incorporated has announced two ‘groundbreaking’ programmes in a new effort by a major chocolate company to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers.
The Fair Trade importer has collaborated with food safety technology company Agri-Neo to install the Neo-Pure Food Safety System at Mayorga’s headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.
‘One of the most difficult issues associated with sustainable sourcing is whether companies should adopt third party standards or develop in-house schemes.
Many consumers struggle to tell the difference between cocoa certification program labels like Fairtrade and company own labels, such as Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan, but all agree social responsibility should be a priority for chocolate makers.
Fairtrade International has said the number of farmers and workers benefitting from the system increased by 13% in 2011 as the food and drink industry continues to pledge its support, according to a new report.
A new minimum price for Fairtrade organic cocoa, which comes into force early next year, will act as an income safety net for growers amid ongoing price volatility in the sector, according to the organization behind the standard.
Cadbury CEO Todd Stitzer told a fair trade conference in London on Thursday that taking away its “principled capitalism” would destroy Cadbury’s appeal, according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
UK consumers have a great desire to learn about conditions for food producers in poor countries, a new survey indicates, which food manufacturers can satisfy by flagging up their ethical sourcing efforts.
Symrise has received fair trade certification for its bourbon vanilla extracts from Madagascar, offering farmers advice and premiums that help dissuade them from switching to less labour intensive crops.
The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate
the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly
create a more sustainable and ethical food market.
Food companies do not yet face the ethical sourcing equation of the
clothing industry, where brands from Nike to Marks & Spencer
cannot afford a single claim of sweat-shop production. But the
moment is fast approaching for food,...
Leading merchant of cocoa, sugar and coffee ED&F Man has
launched Corigins, a US-based supplier offering traceable, quality
sugar and cocoa ingredients, Philippa Nuttall reports.
Starbucks Coffee has formed a partnership with a US development
agency and environmental conservationists to help ensure a
sustainable supply of high quality coffee from Latin America.
Recent reports that Nestlé, the world's biggest food company, is
considering a move into the fair trade market have been met with
scepticism and disbelief by market observers and rival coffee
makers alike, but as analysts Datamonitor...
Cafédirect, the UK's largest supplier of ethical tea and coffee
under the Fairtrade mark, has reported record sales for the year to
end March - a performance which confirms the growing importance of
ethical food and drink products...
A chocolate cake made using ingredients from Fairtrade, the UK
organisation which guarantees fair prices for producers in some of
the world's poorest regions, is the latest own label product launch
by the UK's Co-op Group.
