Broken chocolate: biomarkers as a method for delivering cocoa supply chain visibility

What is it about?

Cocoa supply chains are beset with problems of child labour and environmental degradation, which the industry has been aware of for over a century. The problems appear to be getting worse despite the industry's insistence that it can self-regulate. We find, from interviews with stakeholders along the length of cocoa supply chains, that these problems are at their worst at the farm and fermentation stages where visibility is most limited for focal firms. We demonstrate a scientific method for tracing cocoa from chocolate back to the farm, enabling better management by chocolate manufacturers and better visibility for wider stakeholders.

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