Have you heard about the so-called alternatives to cocoa? They are said to be cheaper and more sustainable than real cocoa. Is that true?
In search of Plan B
Now, more than ever, the cocoa sector is facing major challenges – climate change, price fluctuations, pest infestation, deforestation, human rights violations, poor harvests – and food tech start-ups and major players in the sector have long been looking for alternative ways to produce chocolate. Barry Callebaut, for example, is collaborating with ZHAW, while Lindt is investing in companies such as FoodBrewer. The focus is particularly on plant-based alternatives – such as fermented oats or sunflower seeds, field beans, barley or even carob. Precision fermentation and processing steps similar to those used for cocoa result in products that can come remarkably close to chocolate. At the same time, there are developments in the field of cell-based cocoa, in which cocoa components are cultivated in the laboratory.
Are cocoa alternatives taking over the market?
A few weeks ago, a cocoa farmer from Ghana asked me with concern where this journey was headed and what it meant for him when he read about the high investment sums in cocoa alternatives. We are asking ourselves the same question. While some food tech start-ups are reassuring and emphasising that cocoa farming families cannot be replaced, the statement made yesterday by Peter Feld, CEO of Barry Callebaut, in the NZZ newspaper points in a different direction: ‘Such alternatives will not replace the cocoa bean. But in the longer term, they will account for a significant share of the market.’
Solution or diversionary tactic?
However, these approaches only promise less dependence on cocoa, the use of regionally available raw materials and more climate-friendly supply chains for the industry. This is exciting for them because they can be used in existing chocolate production processes.
But the crucial question remains: are such alternatives really a way out for the cocoa sector – or rather a convenient loophole for an industry that has failed to seriously address key issues such as poverty, child labour and deforestation for decades? Those who push for alternative products in chocolate production run the risk of depriving millions of cocoa farmers of their livelihoods – while the actual causes of the crisis remain untouched. So is this a sustainable solution – or just another diversionary tactic that shifts responsibility onto the producers? Or are cocoa alternatives really just an interesting niche that will never replace ‘real cocoa’?
The future of chocolate – what do you think?
Have you ever tried an alternative to chocolate? Could you imagine that fermented sunflower seeds, for example, could be a real alternative to cocoa?
We will keep you informed about further developments on this issue.