Page 10 - NLN April 19

SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING:
Save the World

ONE CHOCOLATE AT A TIME

Written by Robert Edis, Soil Scientist, Australian Centre
for International Agricultural Research
Kanika Singh, Research Fellow, University of Sydney
Richard Markham, Research Program Manager for Horticulture,
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
Shopping can be confusing at the best of times, and trying to find environmentally
friendly options makes it even more difficult.

Cocoa is probably the most sustainable of all internationally certification is not worth it for many small operations.
traded commodities, so there are several “feelgood” reasons for Much of this chocolate is organic more or less by default, as
eating the chocolate made from it this Easter – at least when many smallholders, especially in the Pacific region, simply do not
the cocoa is grown by smallholder producers and traded by use agrochemicals. It’s also more likely to be grown in heavily
processors that are committed to equitable sharing of profits. rainforested areas, with almost zero water footprint.
Here are some ways to tell if you are onto a good thing. In their search for high quality and unique flavours, several
Environmental impact Australian boutique chocolate makers have started to source
As a wild species, cocoa (Theobroma cacao) originates from the their beans directly from cacao growers.
rainforest of the Amazon basin and the foothills of the Andes. For instance, Bahen & Co. in Margaret River, Western Australia,
In nature, it grows as an “understorey” species, shaded by the purchases beans directly from communities on Vanuatu’s
rainforest canopy. Much of the world’s cocoa crop is similarly Malekula island, while Jasper & Myrtle in Canberra buys beans
grown in the shade of taller trees in mixed plantings. from growers on PNG’s previously troubled island of Bougainville.
Unlike many plantation crops, like rubber and oil palm, cocoa These programs mean that these growers have been able to
can be grown with a diverse mixture of other plants. Of course, taste chocolate from their own beans for the first time, and thus
not all growers produce this way, so if preserving biodiversity is a understand how their own processing of the beans – through
priority for you, look for Rainforest Alliance certification. fermentation and drying – affects the quality of the final product.
Cocoa needs a lot of water to survive, so large irrigated Even more value can remain with the local growers and their
plantations have a high water footprint. On the other hand, communities if the chocolate itself is manufactured in-country.
almost all smallholder cocoa is grown without irrigation in high- Visitors passing through duty free shops as they leave PNG may
rainfall areas, so the water used in production of the cocoa is close have picked up Queen Emma chocolate, made by Paradise Foods
to zero (apart from a small amount of water used in processing). in Port Moresby, while those leaving Nadi may have bought
Another environmental aspect is the use of fertilisers and Fijiana chocolate made by local company Adi’s Chocolate.
pesticides. When cocoa pods are harvested they take a lot of Australian shoppers will soon be able to buy Aelan chocolate –
nutrients with them, out of the ecosystem. On average, a kilogram single-origin bars from four different islands of Vanuatu, made
of dry cocoa contains 36 grams of nitrogen, 6g of phosphorus, in Port Vila by ACTIV, a Victorian NGO founded and operated on
72g of potassium, 7g of calcium, and 6g of magnesium. fair-trade principles.
This means maintaining soil condition is critical. This can be At the furthest end of the fine-flavour chocolate trend are
achieved with careful application of fertiliser, though this chocolate bars with no artificial additives of any kind. A favourite
rarely occurs and soil depletion has become a major problem recipe among discerning chocolate-tasters is simply to mix 80%
prompting aid groups to encourage more fertiliser use!. cocoa “nibs” (coarsely ground beans) with 20% sugar and “conch”
However, research in Sulawesi, supported by the Australian it gently until smooth and delicious.
Centre for International Agricultural Research and chocolate What about food miles and the carbon footprint?
giant Mars Inc, has shown that using a judicious combination of The typical cocoa bean from the Asia-Pacific region is bought
nitrogen-fixing shade trees and compost (ideally produced with by the local representative of a global commodity trader. It is
the help of goats) can maintain soil fertility – and even reclaim shipped to Singapore, or directly to Indonesia, which has the
depleted speargrass savanna – for cocoa production. capacity to grind some 600,000 tonnes of cocoa each year. The
Finding good chocolate ground or whole beans then travel onward to Europe.
The good news is that there are plenty of chocolate producers Belgium has a well-established reputation as the world’s preferred
who avoid all of these problems. There are two ways to find it: provider of “cocoa liquor”, and some of this is shipped back to
look for certifications, or seek out small operations in our region. Australia as the raw material for local chocolate manufacture –
Fairtrade certification means that smallholder producers in now with a sizeable carbon footprint.
developing countries are getting a fair share of the price you pay.
Rainforest Alliance certification, meanwhile, ensures Other beans will be shipped to France, Italy, Switzerland (or will
that rainforest hasn’t been cleared to make way for remain in Belgium) for manufacture into delicious chocolates,
unsustainable plantations. and some of these too will be shipped back to our region for
If you’re concerned about fertiliser and pesticide use, UTZ (who retail sale. If fossil fuels and global warming are among your
have recently merged with the Rainforest Alliance) has built concerns, consider seeking a chocolate product that was grown
sustainable productivity into their certification systems.
All of these certification schemes are largely available to and processed nearby.
multinational companies. Some of the biggest chocolate In sum, with a bit of attention to the back story, you can enjoy a
companies in the world, including Mars, Ferrero, Hershey and whole range of delicious new chocolate experiences this Easter
Nestlé, have committed to sourcing 100% certified cocoa, so it’s – and feel that you are contributing at the same time to the
possible to buy sustainable cocoa without even realising it. equitable and sustainable development of the planet.
On the other end of the scale are smallholdings, which are likely
to lack these kinds of certifications. That doesn’t always mean
they are bad for the environment, or that the growers aren’t
getting a fair price. It may simply be that the expense of formal