Cargill pushes for cocoa supply integrity

MINNEAPOLIS - Cargill is increasing the ante on its commitment to sustainably sourced cocoa as Western consumers seek greater assurance that their chocolate consumption isn't fueling deforestation and child labor.

The company, based outside the Twin Cities and with facilities in Cedar Rapids and elsewhere in Eastern Iowa, is a major global trader of cocoa, a crop largely grown in developing regions such as West Africa. It recently announced stronger, more targeted goals for its Cargill Cocoa Promise that align more closely with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

As a supply-chain leader, Cargill often is scrutinized for its role in either helping or hurting environmental and social concerns associated with the harvesting of cocoa beans.

The release of the company's third-annual cocoa report comes on the heels of an investigative report by the British newspaper the Guardian, which found 'dirty cocoa” - or cocoa illegally grown within protected areas in the Ivory Coast - was being mixed into the 'clean cocoa” supply chain.

Large companies such as Cargill often buy their cocoa from cooperatives comprising many smallholder farmers - farmers owning small plots of land relying almost exclusively on family labor. There are many system cracks when it comes to traceability that make it harder to promise sustainable sourcing.

Cargill said its goals have evolved as the challenges faced by smallholder farmers have changed. The company has now turned these 'evidence-based” discoveries into tangible steps that it can take to reach its goals by 2030.

Taco Terheijden, Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate's director of sustainability, said he hopes this acts as a clear declaration to define industry's role. He said he also hopes it helps the local governments define their own role as well.

'If you don't define your role, it becomes this thing where we are pointing toward one another and waiting for someone else to do something. These are not easy, quick problems to be solved,” Terheijden said.

Cargill aims to eliminate child labor from its supply chain by 2025 and deforestation by 2030. It has implemented a number of educational programs for its farmers to spot and avoid such practices.

The company also continues to partner with CARE International, a well-known not-for-profit, which is working to create economic opportunities for women and open schools for children.