MARS Bar goes green on cocoa

Media Statement 28th February 2011

MARS® Bar goes green on cocoa

The cocoa in MARS® Bars will be going green in New Zealand from the middle of this year.

“This means they will not only taste great, the production of them will also benefit many cocoa farmers,” says Gerry Lynch, General Manager of Mars New Zealand.

From June 2011, the cocoa used to produce MARS® Bar for sale in New Zealand will be sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms in West Africa.
“This is an important move for Mars New Zealand and for all who love MARS® Bars,” Mr Lynch said.

“MARS® Bar will continue to have the same quality and taste, but the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal on pack will provide consumers with an assurance that Mars Chocolate has bought cocoa beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms to meet our needs. Lynch says the volume of beans bought from certified farms, will be traced and matched to those made to make MARS® Bars.

He says that Rainforest Alliance Certified farms meet specific and holistic standards balancing all aspects of production – including protecting the environment, the rights and welfare of workers and the interests of cocoa growing communities.

The decision taken to source cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms will help thousands of farmers, farm workers and their families in West Africa to improve their productivity and their profitability according to Lynch. “The flow on effect from Rainforest Alliance certification is that communities as a whole benefit from better sanitation, access to clean water, medical care and education for farmers and their families.”

Anita Neville, Representative, Rainforest Alliance Australia and New Zealand, says that the move by Mars to source Rainforest Alliance cocoa for MARS® Bar “shows their real commitment to sustainable farming. When companies with the scale and heritage of Mars show this level of leadership, the results are measurable improvements in the quality of life for cocoa farmers, their families and communities, and a cleaner, greener environment for all of us.”

The certified cocoa sourced for MARS® Bar will originally come from the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (commonly known in English as Ivory Coast) in West Africa. The company is also working with the Rainforest Alliance to develop sourcing options in Asia in 2011/12.

Lynch notes that the company globally is working with Rainforest Alliance and other suppliers to enable multiple sourcing. “Certification in West Africa is part of 30 years of work that has been undertaken by Mars on a global basis to work towards cocoa sustainability. The company has invested many millions of dollars to do this.”

“Certification is a journey. It takes a huge amount of resources and infrastructure for farmers to be audited and certified.”

Lynch says the goal for New Zealand is to have a full range of products in New Zealand sourced from certified farms well in advance of the Mars global 2020 commitment

The Global Story

• As one of the world’s largest retail manufacturer of chocolate on a global basis, Mars takes its responsibility to cocoa farmers very seriously.

• Mars globally has pursued a cocoa sustainability strategy for many years in order to secure responsible cocoa production and a sustainable future supply of the crop. The company has invested many millions of dollars in the process.

• Mars’ aim is to increase productivity by helping farmers produce better quality, higher yield crops. This will lead to increased profits and improved livelihoods for families and communities throughout the supply chain.

• Mars announced its intent to purchase only certified cocoa for all its needs by the year 2020. The first and only major manufacturer to do so.

• Mars recognise the importance in cocoa growing and production of economic growth, social improvement and environmental stability.

• Mars is putting farmers first. Its certification program, involving our partners, cocoa farmers and government, will effect real change in sustainable farming practices.

• Mars has a formal agreement with Cote d’Ivoire, the small West African country which provides over 40 per cent of the world’s cocoa. The cocoa industry is crucial to the country’s survival, and the company’s program incorporates science, training, new planting material, social programs and more.

• Mars has been the leader in sustainability science, combating of diseases and pests, sequencing the cocoa genome, and modernising farming for higher productivity and crop diversification --- all leading to increased income for farmers.

• Mars has agreements with the Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified to help source 100,000 tonnes of certified cocoa (each) annually by the year 2020. The company will work with any certifying organization that meets our strict criteria for increasing farmer productivity.

• Although the purchase of certified beans was originally around programs in the Ivory Coast, Mars has also initiated a wide range of cocoa sustainability projects in Ghana, Indonesia, Brazil, Equatorial Africa as well as emerging markets like Vietnam and the Philippines.

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