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The world’s largest chocolate companies have signed a joint agreement to improve sustainability in key cocoa-producing countries, starting with Ivory Coast and Ghana.
The companies, which include Nestlé, Hershey, Mars and Mondelez, have pledged to work with the Ivory Coast and Ghanaian governments to train farmers and promote community development.
The scheme, known as CocoaAction, is expected to improve the lives and productivity of 200,000 farmers in Ivory Coast and 100,000 farmers in Ghana, the two countries responsible for around 55% of the world's cocoa supply.
The agreement is part of the work of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), and there are plans to roll it out to other producer countries.
Barry Parkin, WCF chairman and chief sustainability officer at Mars, commented: "This agreement represents one of the most significant steps the sector is taking to make cocoa sustainable. This alignment of objectives, commitment of resources, and sharing of best practices is the type of transformative initiative that will really help farmers become more productive and secure the future of cocoa.”
Other companies that have signed up include Barry Callebaut, Ferrero and Olam International.
Picture credit: © Leung Cho Pan | Dreamstime.com
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