Dive Brief:
- Cadbury is trading in its front-of-pack Fairtrade chocolate certification for its own sustainability program, Cocoa Life, The Telegraph reported. Cadbury products will still bear the Fairtrade logo on the back on packaging as part of an ongoing partnership.
- Cadbury's owner Mondelez and the Fairtrade Foundation both described the initiative in positive terms, such as a "ground-breaking commitment" and an "exciting development" that would "empower" lower-socioeconomic communities.
- However, critics have dubbed the move "Cadbury's fudge" because they believe this move could cause confusion among consumers and potentially risk the Fairtrade initiative.
Dive Insight:
Cadbury may assume its program will go even farther than the Fairtrade cocoa initiative. Mondelez still has Fairtrade as a partner, due in part to the Fairtrade organization continuing to oversee Mondelez's efforts in this area, making the organization's approval of the new certification and label claim notable.
However, the question is whether food and beverage product labels are becoming overcrowded with label claims and certification symbols. After a while, consumers can be confused with mixed messages, such as whether through cocoa is Fairtrade, Cocoa Life or both, and if one certification is an indication of better sustainability than the other.
Earlier this year, the American Dietetic Association released findings showing that 64% of U.S. consumers, 53% of Europeans and 84% of Asian consumers were estimated to check the labels of the food and beverage products they buy. However, consumers are still unsure over the definitions of certain claims, such as "healthy" or "natural," which has prompted the FDA to take action over the past year.