Milling & Baking News - October 6, 2020 - 22

Food Ingredient Solutions

Cameroon to introduce traceability and
reporting systems, educate communities about child labor, and set up child
labor monitoring and remediation systems.
Cargill, when outlining sustainability progress in June, reported its
child labor monitoring and remediation systems deployed in the Ivory
Coast, Ghana and Cameroon have
reached 58,000 farmers to 29% of the

Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana are
major cocoa-producing countries.

©TARTILA AND AFRICA STUDIO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

farms in the direct supply chain.
Barry Callebaut, Zurich, Switzerland,
has set goals in a project called "Forever
Chocolate." The company by 2025 seeks
to eradicate child labor from its supply
chain, lift more than 500,000 cocoa farmers out of poverty, become more carbon
and forest positive, and have 100% sustainable ingredients in all Barry Callebaut products. MBN
- Jeff Gelski

Sustainability awareness rises, but claims may confuse consumers
Alerting people to web site information may help

urveys show people take a positive view of food companies that
Singapore-based Olam International in September called for retailers
practice sustainability, and those companies continue to report and food brands to back the new "Sustainable Rice Platform-Verified"
progress in areas such as the environment and labor practices. Yet assurance scheme and consumer pack label, which allows people to
communicating the efforts to consumers still needs work.
choose products that directly support efforts to increase farmer inThe term ESG, which stands for environmental, social and governance comes and reduce the environmental impact of rice production.
factors, came up during a "climate week" virtual panel held Sept. 21.
"Unlike crops such as coffee and cocoa, consumers have no aware"Even for an informed person in the aisle making a decision, it's so ness of the sustainability issues associated with rice and therefore, no
hard to absorb all the information, especially on something like ESG, impetus to change them," said Paul Nicholson, head of rice research
which is covering everything from environmental issues to human rights and sustainability for Olam's global rice business. "This label can help
issues to nutrition to governing topics around representation on their galvanize consumer action behind rice, an affordable food that's unique
board," said Amy Senter, chief sustainability officer for the Kellogg Co., in its international appeal and the largest food source on earth."
Battle Creek, Mich. "It's such a complex issue, and I think it's unfair for
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on
us to assume the consumer should be knowledgeable enough to (com- Sept. 16 released its 2019 Impact Report on efforts to reduce deforesprehend) all of that.
tation. The total area certified by the RSPO grew 9% in 2019 to reach
"I think it is our responsibility
4.2 million hectares (10.4 milas brands, for those people seeklion acres) across 17 countries.
Frequency of considering sustainability
ing out that information, to make it
Certified palm oil mills produced
easy to digest on our websites and
15.19 million tonnes of certified
in food and beverage shopping
readily available."
sustainable palm oil, a 13% in25%
The International Food Inforcrease year-over-year.
19%
18%
18%
15%
mation Council Foundation's
"Boycotting palm does not
36%
36%
37%
34%
35%
2020 Food & Health Survey reoffer a long-term solution," said
vealed consumer interest in susAurora Giribuola, global product
Total
Gen Z
Millennials
Gen X
Boomers
tainability along with confusion.
marketing manager for DuPont
Always/most of the time
Occasionally
Nearly 60% of those surveyed
Nutrition & Biosciences, a busiSource: The Hartman Group, Inc.
said it is important the food prodness of DuPont. "Responsible
ucts they purchase or consume
palm is the way forward. Packare produced in an environmentally sustainable way. The percentage who age claims are part of the toolbox to make consumers aware of sustainsaid environmental sustainability impacted their purchases rose to 34% ably sourced ingredients. Members of RSPO that have achieved supply
in 2020 from 27% in 2019.
chain certification from an RSPO-approved certification body may atYet more than 60% said they found it hard to know whether their tach the RSPO 'Certified' and 'Mixed' trademarks and associated marfood choices are environmentally sustainable. Of those who said they keting claims to their products."
were confused, 70% said it would influence their decisions more if it
Indonesia and Malaysia account for 81% of the total RSPO-certified
were easier to know.
area. The Malaysian Palm Oil Council has its own sustainable palm oil
A survey from The Hartman Group, Bellevue, Wash., found 19% of re- certification. The council originally partnered with the RSPO but then
spondents said they consider sustainability always or most of the time set up its own standards to better reach out to smallholder farmers.
when shopping for foods and beverages while 36% said occasionally.
Cargill, Minneapolis, in May published FATitudes research that
Millennials had the highest percentages at 25% for always or most of the found 37% of consumers said they were more likely to purchase prodtime and 37% for occasionally. Other percentages were 18% and 36% ucts with a sustainability claim, which was a 6% increase from research
for Gen Z, 18% and 34% for Gen X, and 15% and 35% for baby boomers. in 2019, said Jamie Mavec, marketing manager, Cargill global edible
Some sustainability claims are recognized more easily. A 2017 report oils. The FATitudes research monitors consumer attitudes toward fats
from the Natural Marketing Institute, Harleysville, Pa., found 63% of and oils in packaged foods.
American shoppers said they recognized the Fair Trade Certified seal, and
"Across all commodities, palm and soy oil included, people want as75% of millennials said Fair Trade Certified is important to their purchase surance that raw materials are sourced in a sustainable, environmendecisions. Fair trade seeks to eliminate poverty and enable sustainable tally conscious way," Ms. Mavec said. "A transparent and traceable
development for farmers, workers, their families and their communities.
supply chain is key to delivering on that demand and serves to elevate
Other programs exist for specific crops and ingredients.
consumer trust in the brands they buy." MBN

22 / October 6, 2020

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Milling & Baking News - October 6, 2020

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