Easter 2022 arrives this week with its usual egg-hunting and chocolate-bunny traditions, but also with some bitter new realities.
A fresh outbreak of avian flu in the U.S. has wiped out tens of millions of hens in recent weeks, causing a shortfall in the eggs typically sold for dying and decorating — and reminding us once again about the vulnerability of our food supply. And while there’s no shortage of chocolate confections on store shelves, consumers will be paying more, and these higher prices are a harbinger of growing environmental and social burdens imperiling the industry.
Demand for cacao, meanwhile, is surging: A recent National Confectioners Association report shows consumers devoured nearly US$37 billion in candy worldwide last year — a more than 10 per cent increase since 2020 thanks to social media campaigns and stress-eating during the pandemic. The biggest part of the candy surge was chocolate, with US$22 billion in 2021 sales.
According to a recent University of Chicago report, more than 1.5 million children are currently working illegally to produce cacao in western Africa, in part because of the low “farmgate” prices for the beans — the market price set by the countries of origin, which is kept to a minimum under pressure from industry. Beltman tells me that because cacao farmers aren't allowed to set prices for their beans, it creates a “poverty trap” and has led to a form of modern slavery.
Tony’s Chocolonely has devised five sourcing principles that guide its business relationships with cacao suppliers in West Africa within an aim toward building climate resilience. Most notable among them: The company uses supply-chain mapping software to track all the beans it purchases back to the farms of origin — a practice that enables the company to ensure quality, monitor growing practices and soil health and rid its supply chain of slave labor.
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