Monday November 2, 2009

Kraft To Use Only Certified Cocoa Beans

Wellesley, MA — Kraft Foods, Inc. plans to use only Rainforest Alliance Certified farms’ cocoa beans for its Cote d’Or and Marabou brands by the end of 2012, according to Kraft spokesperson Richard Buino.

The company is slated to raise its sustainable cocoa bean purchases to 30,000 tons, a near tenfold increase, by the end of 2012.

The three Kraft brands will include the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal on packs in Europe, and the Cote d’Or brand in the U.S.

“This will be the first line of Kraft cocoa or chocolate that will carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal in the U.S.,” says Abby Ray, communications associate for the Rainforest Alliance, an international environmental conservation organization.

“Our efforts are to bring cocoa back to being grown under the rainforest canopy, using integrated management and conserving biodiversity while improving sustainable livelihood,” Ray explains.