Blogs
Industry doubts whether banning television advertising on treats will impact on reducing obesity
This week has again brought a renewed spotlight on the major issue of obesity, which has been characterised as having reached crisis levels within the UK, with two thirds of UK adults considered as being overweight, according to Public Health England.
Time is not on our side for delivering tangible change for cocoa sustainability in Ghana and Ivory Coast
Building on last week’s news of events within the cocoa sector, sustainability is once again making major headlines with regard to a landmark new declaration relating to key markets in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Digital payments for Ghana’s cocoa growing communities could prove vital to the sector
A report authored by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance has highlighted a core issue of only 10% of payments being made digitally for farmers in Ghana’s cocoa sector – despite the fact that 90% of farmers now own mobile phones, according to latest research.
Marking some sweet celebrations for World Chocolate Day
It seems these days, there’s an international day for everything – and confectionery isn’t to be outdone with 7 July being that very occasion, marking World Chocolate Day.
Manufacturing and engineering will need major support amid economic challenges
The emergence of a study commissioned by industry organisation Make UK and the Santander Banking group revealing that the British manufacturing sector may not recover until 2022 has made for sobering reading.
Celebrating a growing number of women within engineering and manufacturing
For some years now, governments and industrial sectors around the world have stepped up their efforts to recruit a greater number of women into engineering roles – not before time in the view of many.
Greater progress required on key schemes to lift African cocoa farmers from below poverty line
Edward Akapire, head of region, Fairtrade Africa West Africa Network, reflects his observations on the key improvements that need to be made within the cocoa sector that will deliver on the progress being made by farming reforms in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Two metre rule for social distancing is costing industry severely
The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on all aspects of our lives, including business conditions. Our guest blogger this week, Natalka Antoniuk, of Quadrant2Design, shares her view on the two-metre social distancing rules.
Savvy internet retailers reveal growth in online sales amid pandemic market conditions
There is no getting away from the fact that internet retailing across a number of food market segments, including confectionery, has shown a notable upturn during the past financial quarter.
Olam marks World Environment Day with measures to enhance its operations
The UN-backed World Environment Day is celebrated today (5 June) each year as a means of driving engagement on protecting the environment. This includes key issues relating to the cocoa and confectionery sector, including deforestation and climate change. Chris Brown, vice president and global head of Environment, Olam International, offers his view on progress being made.
Coronavirus pandemic may increase child labour, but a path to child-labour free cocoa exists
Child labour within the cocoa sector remains a key matter for the confectionery sector, with around 2 million children in Ghana and Ivory Coast alone said to be in some form of labour, despite the sector’s efforts to respond on the issue. In this guest blog Kunera Moore, Lead – tackling child labour at the Rainforest Alliance, offers some hope on this major issue.
Call for extending trade negotiations amid pandemic makes sound business sense
Without doubt one of the most significant news stories of the past week has been the plea from the Caobisco European confectionery organisation for the EU and UK to continue crucial trade talks beyond the fast-approaching cut-off point of December 2020.
Fairtrade report highlights urgent need for joint industry action on sustainability schemes
The latest set of studies from Fairtrade released this week into sustainability initiatives in core cocoa growing locations, including Ghana and Ivory Coast, have produced some extremely notable findings.
Confectionery and cocoa sectors continue efforts to support communities through coronavirus
With latest production deadlines looming, this week’s blog will be a short one from myself, just simply to re-emphasise that it has been particularly notable to see how the confectionery industry around the world is doing its bit to give back to those less fortunate during the coronavirus pandemic.