Mars, Incorporated, the producer of Snickers, M&M’s, Milky Way and Mars bars, has reported an aim to certify its entire cocoa supply as being produced in a sustainable manner by 2020. Mars, one of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers, said that their commitment to sustainability was long-term, with tens of millions to be spent on annual certification. “As a leader in the pursuit of a sustainable global cocoa industry, Mars, Incorporated in line with its Five Principles,... ...Read more »

Barry Callebaut, a world leading manufacturer of high quality cocoa and chocolate products, has reported the results of a recent study, which reveal the potential mood-elevating effect of cocoa polyphenols. The independent research, conducted by the French ETAP-Applied Ethology, Centre de Recherche en Pharmacologie, Cancérologie & Pathologies Humaines et Nutrition-Santé’ in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy and published in the international scientific journal Nutritional Neuroscience indicates that... ...Read more »

The World Cocoa Foundation overnight announced a new program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and companies from the chocolate industry to significantly improve the livelihoods of approximately 200,000 cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Liberia. The innovative, five-year West Africa Cocoa Livelihoods Program will focus on enhancing farmer knowledge and competitiveness, improving productivity and quality, promoting crop diversification and improving... ...Read more »

Worldwide cocoa production has been tainted by child slave labour over the course of the past decade, but an Australian company is now one of an increasing number worldwide who are looking to eradicate slave labour from the industry. On a visit to Cocoa Australia’s cocoa plantation and processing centre at Mossman Central Mill last week, Opposition Spokesman for Northern Australia, Senator Ian Macdonald, indicated that this Australian first would help to reduce the use of child labour to produce... ...Read more »

The United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Mars, Incorporated, and IBM are combining their scientific resources to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. Sequencing the cocoa genome is viewed by the organizations as a significant scientific step that may allow more directed breeding of cocoa plants and potentially enhance the quality of cocoa - the key ingredient in chocolate. The collaboration hopes to enable farmers to plant better quality... ...Read more »

A report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that cocoa flavanols, which are naturally occurring plant compounds, may provide benefits to people with Type 2 Diabetes. The study concluded that the daily consumption of a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols can positively impact blood vessel dysfunction. Study participants who regularly drank a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols, made using the Mars, Incorporated Cocoapro process, experienced a 30 per cent improvement... ...Read more »