U.S.-based Mars, the maker of M&Ms and Snickers, said it had revamped its cocoa strategy in an effort to tackle problems that the company and wider industry had so far failed to address.
“The cocoa supply chain as it works today is broken,” John Ament, global vice president of cocoa at the privately owned company, told Reuters in an interview.
“It’s time to recognize this and to build a new model and a new approach that focuses on putting the smallholder at the center.”
The cocoa industry’s current approach to sustainability has drawn criticism in recent months, as years of scattered actions have done little to improve the lives of farmers and prevent environmental degradation.
Under the new sustainability scheme — which will cost the company $1bn over 10 years — all the cocoa it buys will be responsibly sourced by 2025, Mars said.
