Sustainably sourced KitKat launches in Europe

Nestlé has introduced a KitKat made with cocoa mass from beans grown by farmer families engaged in the company’s income accelerator. This KitKat aims to connect consumers with the farmers in Nestlé’s program and raise awareness about cocoa sustainability in the bars.

The program was launched in January 2022 to help close the living income gap of cocoa-farming families and reduce child labour risk. At the same time, it aims to advance better agriculture practices and promote gender equality, empowering women as agents for positive change. It will also incentivise cocoa-farming families who enrol their children in school, implement food agricultural practices, engage in agroforestry activities and diversify their incomes.

The income accelerator program has supported over 10,000 families in Côte d’Ivoire and is expanding to Ghana this year to include a total of 30,000 families. The program aims to reach 160,000 families by 2030 to create an impact at scale across Nestlé’s global cocoa supply chain.

By collaborating with various partners and suppliers, Nestlé has been able to transform its global cocoa sourcing and achieve full traceability and physical segregation of the cocoa from its income accelerator program.

The cocoa mass from the program adheres to one of the highest traceability standards, ensuring ‘mixed identity preserved’ traceability, enabling cocoa to be traced and stored separately. By mid-2024. Nestlé plans to use segregated cocoa butter for all its KitKat chocolate in Europe, with plans to expand to other regions in coming years.

Starting from January 2024, the KitKat Breaks for Good will be available on store shelves in 27 European countries, and in the UK from May 2024. A limited edition KitKat, with 70% dark chocolate, also made from cocoa sourced from the income accelerator, has been launched as a pilot in the UK.

“Cargill is committed to supporting Nestlé’s longer-term goals and their progress on delivering the Income Accelerator Program,” commented Michiel van der Bom, Product Line Director Cocoa & Chocolate Europe West Africa, Cargill. “As a partner on Nestlé’s sustainability journey, we are implementing solutions to source sustainable ingredients for Nestlé in ways that help restore the environment, support families and increase incomes. Through our partnership, we are building a stronger, more resilient supply chain together.”

“We’re delighted to collaborate with Nestlé on their journey towards more sustainable cocoa sourcing,” said Thierry Touchais, Manager, Strategic Accounts at the Rainforest Alliance. “It’s encouraging to find a company of this scale using a mixed identity preserved model in which cocoa can be traced back to Rainforest Alliance certified farmers engaged in Nestlé’s income accelerator. The approach showcases the potential for positive change in the industry.”