The chocolate industry moves towards 100% sustainability

The global chocolate industry is worth $92bn and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 3.97% between 2016 and 2021, according to GlobalData. However, maintained growth for such a significant industry brings concerns about whether cocoa production can match demand in a sustainable manner.

Confectionery giant Mondelez has recently begun to implement more sustainable practices within its cocoa supply chain in Ghana to ensure production is able to keep up with future demand. Meanwhile, 41 players, including Nestlé and Lindt & Sprüngli from the Swiss cocoa industry, have also recently pledged to source at least 80% of cocoa-containing products from sustainable sources by 2025.

Many confectionery companies have already implemented fair-trade or sustainability initiatives in the last decade. Cadbury’s started working with the Fair-trade Foundation in 2009 to support cocoa farmers and increase crop yields. It didn’t take long for confectioners to realise the benefits of pooling resources when socially responsible policies could improve crop yield and the quality of cocoa.

As a result confectionery companies are now looking to invest even more resources and pledge to have the majority of their cocoa produced in a sustainable manner, with Mars looking to be 100% sustainable by 2020.

Companies have also been searching for alternative sources of cocoa in preparation for any future shortage of cocoa beans. Alternative ingredients such as jack fruit seeds are being considered, as they are said to give off a similar aroma to chocolate once fermented and roasted. The success of these alternatives will be based on how well they are able to recreate the taste of chocolate and how well it is received by the public, as the inability to recreate the original flavour can often be the downfall for products using alternative ingredients.

Related report

https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/cpg9498mp–global-chocolate-confectionery-market-outlook-to-2020-market-size-growth-and-forecast-analytics/