Can you imagine that idea? A world without chocolate? The thought hadn’t crossed my mind before, but it could happen. The world’s supply is being consumed faster than we can produce it and toss in Mother Nature’s antics – well, the future of the cocoa bean is uncertain.
A recent survey (conducted by Vision Critical for the Nestle Cocoa Plan), has found we know very little about where cocoa comes from or where it’s heading to. Of the 1000 Canadians surveyed, almost half of survey respondents thought most cocoa comes form Ecuador, while only 27 per cent correctly identified West Africa as the source of most of the world’s supply. And 59 per cent mistakenly thought that most cocoa comes from factory farms instead of from small, family-owned operations, where it is grown and harvested, often under challenging conditions.
Despite our obsession with chocolate most of use remain largely in the dark about the threats to the global cocoa supply that could make it an even more sought after treat.
Canada is among some of the first countries in the world to introduced Cocoa Plan – sourced chocolate that is used in top-selling Nestle bars KIT KAT, SMARTIES, AERO, and COFFEE CRISP.
The Nestle Cocoa Plan is a $120-million initiative to improve cocoa sustainability and the livelihoods of cocoa famers through a number of programs including: distributing higher-yielding, disease-resistant plantlets, providing education for famers and their families; improving infrastructure in farming communities; and addressing and eliminating the use of child labour in the cocoa supply chain. The vision is to help cocoa famers run profitable farms, respect the environment, have a good quality of life and for their children to benefit from an education and to see cocoa farming as a respectable life long profession.
For more information and interesting facts, visit www.nestlecocoaplan.com
While we’re on the topic of chocolate, Nestle’s Halloween sized bars in the big RED BOX is recognized by nut-allergy families. This Halloween, “Paint the Town Red” and show your support to these families by displaying the red box in view of trick o’ treaters – so they know they can safely accept nut-free chocolates when they knock at your door!
How cooool is this? The CRAVEYARD Collection!
Think you could live without chocolate?
Could never live without Chocolate!! Thanks for bringing this to our attention, I had not idea!!
wakeup call! if we can’t get the message home with fossil fuels, maybe hitting us where it “hurts” will work. i like the cocoa plan idea.
Never. 😉