Chocolate with a conscience: Nestlé’s sustainable KitKat poised to support cocoa farmers

23 Jan 2024 --- Nestlé has unveiled its first KitKat made with cocoa mass in Europe, that uses high traceability standards and ‘mixed identity preserved’ traceability, enabling cocoa to be traced and stored separately. The cocoa beans are grown by farmer families involved in the Nestlé Income Accelerator Program, which aims to close the living income gap of cocoa-farming families and reduce child labor risk.

A limited-edition KitKat, with 70% dark chocolate formulated with similarly sourced cocoa, has also been launched in the UK market as a pilot.

This comes when the chocolate bar category is growing fast, showing a 9% average annual growth in chocolate confectionery launches tracked with this claim (Global, CAGR Oct 2017- Sep 2018 vs. Oct 2021 - Sep 2022), as indicated by Innova Market Insights data.

Cargill has facilitated sourcing sustainable ingredients for the product to help “restore the environment, support families and increase incomes,” says the company.

From origin to factory
Nestlé income accelerator program was launched in January 2022 and works toward the betterment of agriculture practices while also promoting gender equality and empowering women, notes the FMCG giant.

The new KitKat aims to connect consumers with the farmers in Nestlé’s program (Image credit: Nestlé).By collaborating with various partners and suppliers, the company aims to transform its global cocoa sourcing and track the entire journey of cocoa beans from origin to factory while keeping them physically separated from other cocoa sources.

The program incentivizes cocoa-farming families that enroll their children in school, implement good agricultural practices, engage in agroforestry activities and diversify their incomes. 

According to the company, by 2030, the program aims to reach an estimated 160,000 cocoa-farming families in Nestlé’s global cocoa supply chain for large-scale impact.

Meeting demands sustainably
The cocoa industry is booming worldwide, with over half of surveyed consumers claiming to eat it at least once a week, based on the Innova Market Insights Consumer Survey in 2023.

Consumption preferences indicated 53% saying they eat chocolate in block or tablet form and 54% claiming to eat chocolate in bars or truffles forms.

Meanwhile, the spike in demand for sustainable cocoa is urging producers to turn to technology-driven initiatives to protect and support the farmer community while minimizing the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

For instance, Cargill is planting multi-purpose trees on cocoa farms and in 2022, the company introduced over 16,000 new farmers to implement cocoa agroforestry to support forest protection.

53% of consumers surveyed by Innova Market Insights said they eat chocolate in block or tablet form.Last year, ofi, Cargill and Tradin Organic harnessed satellite monitoring solutions and AI for supply chain transparency while supporting smallholder farmers with sustainable farming initiatives in response to the EU Deforestation Regulation coming into effect at the end of 2024.

Technology group Bühler’s sustainability moves include its flavor creation centers that process cocoa, where the company utilizes the by-products and waste generated by the facility to reduce their CO2 footprint, waste production, and energy costs.

Cocoa and chocolate giant Barry Callebaut also revealed plans to unlock its full growth potential to inspire modern cocoa farming practices and create “the future of sustainability for the industry.”

Meanwhile, cocoa is battling climate change, with a recent study indicating that dwindling pollinator counts are reducing crop growth. The scenario will likely impact China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines, with sub-Saharan Africa also at risk, specifically its cocoa and mango crops.

By Insha Naureen