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Cadbury products to fall under Cocoa Life ethical supply chain programme

Written by: Supply Chain Online
Published on: 5 Dec 2016
Category:

CADBURY NEWS

Cadbury products to fall under Cocoa Life ethical supply chain programme

British confectionary giant Cadbury has announced that all of its chocolate products in the UK and Ireland will be produced under the Cocoa Life sustainability initiative by 2019.

Cadbury has previously operated under Fairtrade certification, but the brand’s US owner, Mondelez International, said that it wants all Cadbury products to be produced under a single supply chain programme.

Glenn Caton, Northern Europe President at Mondelez International, said that Cadbury’s practise of sustainable cocoa sourcing dates back 100 years to a time when the Cadbury family started cocoa farming in Ghana. Cocoa Life builds upon this tradition.

“Through Cocoa Life, we want to become an accountable partner for our cocoa farmers, not just a buyer. We are directly connecting buyers to farmers, enabling them to build long-term businesses. Cocoa Life truly transforms communities by delivering real and measurable improvements for cocoa farmers,” he continued.

Cadbury products sold in the UK will no longer feature the Fairtrade stamp on the front of the packaging, but the confectioner said that it will continue to work with the foundation on various programmes. Products will carry the Fairtrade logo on the back instead.

Fairtrade Chief Executive Michael Gidney said that the company has proudly collaborated with Cadbury since 2009 to enhance the lives and communities of cocoa farmers. He added that, sadly, many of these farmers continue to struggle with poverty, and their communities are threatened by climate change and a lack of access to vital services.

“The evolution of our partnership with Cadbury and Cocoa Life is an exciting development, as it embeds Fairtrade, our values, principles and unique relationships with farmer networks into the whole programme. In doing so, together we can increase the scale and impact of Cocoa Life towards a common goal – one in which cocoa farmers, their organisations and communities are empowered, can invest in their own futures and go from just surviving to thriving,” Mr Gidney stated.