Nestle unveils its Cocoa Plan

Toronto, Ont. – Nestlé Canada has announced that it is re-launching its leading chocolate bars so that they will be made with cocoa farmed under the company’s worldwide Cocoa Plan initiative.

Canada is the fifth country to adopt the new initiative.

Under the Cocoa Plan, Nestlé is committed to addressing issues facing cocoa-producing communities. Some of those issues include child labour, farmer income, sustainability, education and improving community infrastructure.

Supply chain sustainability

In addition, the company has partnered with the Fair Labor Association to evaluate its supply chain in the Ivory Coast. Nestlé is the first food company in the world to partner with the non-profit program that investigates workplace conditions and child labour.

Other parts of the plan include training cocoa farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices, as well as how to improve the quality and yield of plants. Nestlé will also distribute 12 million high-yielding, disease-resistant trees by 2019.

As a result of the initiative, Nestlé’s regular-size Kit Kat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties brand chocolate bars are being re-launched with certified cocoa. The bars can be identified by the Cocoa Plan logo on the packaging.