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The Week of July 25, 2006

Cadbury officially blamed for outbreak

The Health Protection Agency states that Cadbury chocolate is the "most credible explanation" for the recent spate of salmonella montevideo in the U.K. The company has not, as of yet, taken responsibility for their role in the outbreak.

What I really want to know if whether the company really thought that nobody would get sick, or if they decided that damage control would be the less expensive option if anybody did. I hope that the public flogging that Cadbury has received will make other companies think twice before they sell food knowing that it is tainted, but I wish even more deeply that they would make good decisions for ethical reasons and not out of fear.

Food Production Daily.com (France)
The Telegraph (U.K.)

Ghana vows to end child labor

According to child labor statistics, more than a million Ghanian children work in the agricultural sector (many in the cacao industry). Some of these children are as young as 5 years old, but are expected to carry heavy loads and use dangerous equipment. The Minister for Manpower, Youth, and Employment recently announced a new program that is set to stamp out the worst forms of child labor.

One aspect of the article that I find interesting is the debate about what constitutes child labor. Some suggest that light work shouldn't qualify, while others suggest that anything commercial should. In U.S. agricultural communities, children are often expected to help harvest crops, milk cows, make preserves, and so on. Sometimes the crops, milk, and preserves are sold to customers. Yet those activities seem reasonable to me--they can promote a sense of responsibility and a good work ethic. I'd rather see a youngster running home to do some chores than to play a video game. So where is the line between chores and economic exploitation? If you have something you'd like to say about this topic, send me an e-mail

All Africa.com

The Week of July 19, 2006

Ghanian Schools to Serve Cocoa Beverages to Students

Although the article suggests that the change is primarily to promote good health, the fact that the announcement came from the Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning rather than from a figure in public health makes me think that the country wants to produce lots of little captive consumers of a native product. I'm all for eating local, it's just that some of the nutritional "data" cited to support the move seems pretty dubious. But don't take my word for it... Ghanaweb.com

More U.S. Schools Ban Junk Food

The bans, which are frustrating Libertarians not to mention children who like snacking on sweets during school, are designed to help combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, as more studies are released that show corrolations between overweight among youngsters and the early-onset of deadly diseases like cancer and heart disease. Given that the school lunch program has federal oversight (remember when ketchup was declared a vegetable) and its contents are strictly defined by the government, I'm not really sure why these bans in particular are causing such ire. These poor, junk-food deprived children can still go home and freely fill up on chips and soda (provided their parents allow it), they just can't do so on school grounds. Parking lot smokers, move over--the parking lot soda drinkers are on the way! The Boston Globe

Cocoa Prices Take a Tumble in London

I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand how the whole process works, but I thought this would be of interest to the finance-oriented chocolate lover, so here it is. Bloomberg.com

The World's First "Liquid Chocolate Bar" Will Soon be Oozing to a Store Near You!

Love chocolate bars but hate the mess--the new Lava Bar might be just what you're looking for...or you could just learn to eat more neatly! Here's a press release that details the Lava Bar's triumphant debut at the L.A. Farmers' Market. It's not a particulary well-written document-- note the opening line, "The Lava Bar...was introduced...to a mass of satisfying smiles.". Smiles, meet Lava Bar. Lava Bar, meet smiles. All sarcasm aside, the product sounds interesting, and the company gives a portion of proceeds to leukemia research. Press Release Newswire

July 12, 2006

Indianapolis chocolate company sells good chocolate that is also good for the ecosystem.

Business is booming at Endangered Species Chocolate, which will soon introduce a line of dark chocolate truffles.

July 11, 2006

The Cadbury lawsuits begin...

A woman may sue Cadbury after spending five days in the hospital with salmonella Montevideo. She reported that she ate a Cadbury Caramel bar prior to falling ill.

Mars Inc. fires the president of their U.S. snack unit.

In the face of financial loses, Robert Gamgort, the head of Mars North America, sacked Martyn Wilks.

July 10, 2006

Company may face charges over tainted chocolates.

Cadbury has been ordered by the FSA to thoroughly clean their Marlbrook factory, and may also face further legal action in the near future.

July 7, 2006

The Body Shop supports Fairtrade cacao growers.

In 1997, The Body Shop made an investment that helped Fairtrade cocoa farmers establish a co-operative. Now they have donated their shares to the farmers.

JP Morgan believes Cadbury will lose 25 million pounds due to product recall.

About 5 million pounds will be lost because of tainted products that must be destroyed, but the projection also includes a 20 million pound loss in sales caused by a decrease in consumer confidence.

July 5, 2006

Mars factory in Chicago re-opens.

The company stated that the brief closure will not affect the quality of their products. Perhaps the spokesperson should have addressed the impact of mouse droppings on quality?! (The article was so short that I'm not linking to it).

There is no such thing as a safe level of Salmonella.

An independent advisory committee that is investigating the Cadbury affair stated that Cadbury erred in not reporting the Salmonella immediately.

July 3, 2006

More Cadbury bars tested for salmonella.

Food safety experts are unsure about whether or not the contaminated "crumb" mixture may have tainted other products.

Neither "M" stands for "mouse."

The M&M Mars factory in Chicago has been closed due to health code violations, including the presence of mice droppings and fruit flies.

Salmonella hospitalizations raise more questions for Cadbury.

Cadbury has continued to insist that its products are safe. However, a strain of salmonella that put three people in the hospital appears to be genetically identical to the one found in their chocolate.

In Other News...

The Week of July 25, 2006

July 15, 2006

  • Scientists try to create chocolate that won't melt in your mouth, or in your hand. Nigerian food scientists believe they are close to a solution.
  • New chocolate bar claims to soothe PMS symptoms. The "Wonder Bar," by a company called Ecco Bella, contains Swiss chocolate, soy, flaxseed, and Chaste Tree berry. (I found this article kind of insulting, but am passing it along anyway...at least he writes with personality!)
  • The woman who perfected chocolate-covered macadamia nuts has passed away. Sarah Aiko Uno Takitani's experiments were very important to Hawaii's candy industry.

July 12, 2006

  • Cacao pest threatens crops in Aitape, Papua New Guinea. The Asian cocoa pod borer spreads quickly, and it is feared that other parts of the country could also be affected.
  • Anderson, Indiana hopes that the new Nestle plant will attract other employers. The town has been economically depressed for years.

July 11, 2006

  • Cacao Farmers in Venezuela turn to organic chocolate. Venezuela used to be the world's largest exporter of chocolate, but lost that status in the 80s. It is hoped that growing organic cacao will help the country strengthen its foothold in the market.
  • Nestle to open a new factory in Anderson, Indiana. The new facility will manufacture Nesquik and Coffee-Mate.

July 10, 2006

  • Hershey to sell "Pot of Gold" brand. If Hershey doesn't find a buyer, the Canadian plant where the "Pot of Gold" chocolates are made will be closed.
  • Other companies bought Cadbury's "chocolate crumb" to use in their products. The crumb is the substance at the center of the salmonella scare.

July 7, 2006

  • Cadbury is "...happy to change...procedures based on advice from the FSA" Cadbury will be stepping up their salmonella testing in the wake of their problems of recent weeks.
  • Hershey appoints a new "Senior Vice President of Global Operations." Gregg A. Tanner, the new VP, previously worked for ConAgra.

July 6, 2006

  • Scientists attempt to combat chocolate bloom. Researchers are using modern imaging techniques to study the harmless but unsightly white coating that frequently appears on the surface of chocolate .
  • White chocolate cake wraps make wedding cakes beautiful and delicious. Wedding cakes no longer have to be covered in lavish but bland decorations.

July 4, 2006

  • The brownie business is booming. Some say that "brownies are the new cupcakes," whatever that means!

July 3, 2006

  • Masterfoods looks to the Philippines for cacao beans. The corporate giant needs about 300,000 metric tons of the beans each year.
  • Chocolate-Chip cookie dough recalled. Publix recalled their Chocolate Chip Cookie dough because it contains pecans that aren't listed on the label. Pecans can be dangerous or deadly to people with nut allergies.
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