Colombian Chocolate Manufacturer Luker Chocolate has announced it has acquired a majority stake in Slovakian Lyra Group in a deal that will strengthen Luker’s product capabilities and increase flexibility in logistics for European clients.
The European Cocoa Forum, held recently in Rome, Italy, was marked by frank and open discussions on how best to safeguard and direct the future of the hugely important global of the cocoa sector, said Paul Davis, European Cocoa Association (ECA) president.
Oat m!lk chocolate brand, HAPPi, is teaming up with Luker Chocolate to create Kids for Nature, an exciting new project that aims to protect the remarkable wildlife of Colombia by educating the next generation to become guardians of their ecosystem.
Connecticut-based healthy snack food brand GoodSam Foods has announced a new venture with Colombian chocolate manufacturer Luker Chocolate to boost educational programmes in cocoa communities.
ConfectioneryNews talked to Jose Puyana, ProColombia's Regional Director for Europe, ahead of a Trade Mission to the UK (31 March to 3 April) to attend the London Coffee Festival, where cocoa producers will be also in attendance.
Brazil’s cocoa beans production continues its upward curve with the latest figures released this month showing grindings have already increased up to 5% in 2022.
The Dominican Republic National Chocolate Festival has announced winners of its first chocolate competition, which attracted over 40 entries in three categories: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and experimental chocolate.
Inga alley cropping is a sustainable farming model that boosts food security, reduces rainforest destruction and provides organic crops such as cocoa and vanilla for the food industry.
Chile's Algramo sells branded goods in reusable packaging, saving money for manufacturers - such as Nestlé and Unilever - and reducing plastic waste. “We keep packaging in the economy and out of the environment,” it says.
When ultra-processed food costs more, it is associated with lower prevalence of overweight and obesity in Brazil, suggesting taxes could be an effective tool to fight obesity, argue the authors of a recent study.
Starting in Mexico and Brazil, Nestlé will plant three million trees, restore degraded ecosystems and help farmers switch to agroforestry methods in a bid to make its supply chain more resilient.
Mexico's nutrition label is once again on path to enter into force as a court revokes the decision to provisionally suspend it, although industry says it will continue to oppose the regulation using "all legal means".
A judge has temporarily suspended Mexico’s front-of-pack warning label following a request lodged by business lobbies on the grounds it was not widely consulted or based on scientific evidence.
The Colombian government and food industry have agreed on warning nutrition labels that will become mandatory on unhealthy food and drink products sold in the country.
CONACADO cocoa cooperative: 'This could destroy businesses like ours'
The European Union’s proposed organic regulation will break up organic, Fairtrade, and small-scale farmers’ cooperatives, meaning they will struggle to survive in the global market, says Fairtrade International.
New data shows women could be struggling on just 23p (29c) a day, well below the extreme poverty line of £1.40 ($1.81) and organisation calls on government and chocolate companies to join the Alliance on Living Incomes in Cocoa, a new international initiative.
Certified sustainable palm oil supplier Agropalma's investment in a specialty ingredients refinery has allowed Brazilian manufacturers to source key ingredients, such as cocoa butter substitute, domestically, it says.
For the sixth consecutive year, baked-goods company Grupo Bimbo topped the Merco ranking of companies with the best corporate responsibility and governance practices in Mexico.
An Internet of Things (IoT) kitchen appliance that cooks gourmet desserts made with clean label ingredients in minutes is looking to shake up the dessert category, says its Argentinian founder.
Food industry groups have criticized Mexico's newly approved nutrition label regulation, warning that the US, EU and Switzerland have voiced objections before the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Millions is wasted on celeb marketing campaigns that could be redirected to help the world’s poorest achieve a living income through blockchain tokens, says Fairchain and the UNDP.
Mexican food manufacturer Kua Foods, which has a mixed portfolio ranging from healthy smoothie mixes to candy, is following Mexico's nutrition label developments carefully. "We’re not worried, just waiting to see," says its business manager....
Soluble corn fiber can reduce the sugar content in chocolate by up to 50% while retaining similar levels of sweetness and leaving no aftertaste, according to a recently published patent by Mondelēz International.
As Mexico becomes the latest country in Latin America to set national plastic-reduction goals, increasing numbers of Latinos are looking for plastic-free packaging options, according to market analysts. But how feasible is going plastic-free?
Scientists have developed a new milk chocolate formulation that contains almost half the sugar of a standard milk chocolate recipe while also delivering a ‘similar consumer liking score’ in sensory testing.
Growing palm oil on degraded pasture instead of deforested land can reduce net ecosystem carbon losses by 99.7% and results in a crop that is almost completely carbon neutral, according to a Colombian study.
Brazilian food regulatory agency ANVISA has announced a 2% limit on industrial trans fats in all food and drink products and total ban on partially hydrogenated oils by 2023.
Coffee and cocoa farmers often grow avocado and mango as part of sustainable agroforestry systems - but these are vulnerable to climate change and should be swapped for more resilient crops, according to a recent study.
From blockchain to crop monitoring with drones, smallholder cocoa producers in Honduras are digitizing their production thanks to a project led by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Fewer sugary breakfast cereals are using child-targeted marketing tactics since Chile’s strict food regulation, while healthier cereals are adding fun characters to their products, according to recent research.
Bonsucro is a global multi-stakeholder organization that aims to promote sustainable sugarcane production, processing and trade through voluntary certification.
Costa Rica is moving towards its goal of emitting zero net carbon emissions by 2050, protecting biodiverse farming areas and co-leading the UN's One Planet Network - but still has a long way to go to fully decarbonize its economy, say experts.
Voluntary food safety certification in Latin America was once for export only– but it is increasingly in demand for domestic markets, according to BRCGS. “We keep the bar of certification high but achievable,” says its Americas director.
Tate & Lyle has opened an application center in Sao Paolo - one of its largest in the world - to serve all Latin American countries as it enjoys double-digit growth in the region.
By encouraging unhealthy food purchases, supermarkets are worsening Latin America’s childhood obesity crisis – but certain strategies can help both public health and retailer profits, according to a recent UNICEF report.
The Mercosur parliament will study a draft bill proposing harmonized front-of-pack nutrition labeling and other measures to halt rising obesity rates in the bloc.
Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life sustainability program aims to strengthen the company’s supply chain and the Cadbury maker’s on-pack claims are only to signal brands contain sustainable cocoa, says Cathy Pieters, the director of the program.
From sugar reduction to fiber fortification, LATAM manufacturers are increasingly under pressure to make their products healthier. We caught up with some suppliers at this year's Food Tech Summit in Mexico City to find out more.
The United Nations has awarded Peru’s Ministry of Health for its “outstanding contribution” to preventing non-communicable diseases through its mandatory nutrition warning label.
Brazil's proposed warning nutrient label will not encourage manufacturers to make their products healthier, ABIA’s president has said - but ingredient suppliers are gearing up for the reformulation opportunity.
Regulatory authority ANVISA has revealed the front-of-pack nutrition warning it has chosen for Brazil, and is calling for comments through a public consultation.
Toasted babassu oil is a perfect substitute for coconut oil thanks to its delicate flavor profile, lower price, and similar nutritional and functional qualities, says Concepta Ingredients.
From ingredient shortages to price barriers, pesticide regulations to the appeal of 'chemical' food, the CEO of Revel Foods & Co talks about the challenges of being an organic brand in Brazil today.
