With canteen products growing in importance as an office supplies category, Nestlé Australia has announced that every chocolate it sells is now independently certified to ensure the cocoa is sourced and produced sustainably on farms with safe working conditions.

More than 3000 tonnes of UTZ Certified cocoa is now being used to produce leading brands such as Kit Kat, Smarties and Club chocolate.

Nestlé is the first major chocolate manufacturer in Australia to source all the cocoa for its retail confectionery business from certified and sustainable farms working with the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, which pays farmers a premium for sustainably produced cocoa among other initiatives.

Nestlé Australia business executive manager confectionery and snacks, Martin Brown, said the Nestlé Cocoa Plan is helping farmers to run profitable farms, eliminate the use of child labour and ensure a sustainable supply of cocoa.

 “Our work with West African cocoa farmers is helping to address the issues facing the farmers and their communities, while giving Australian consumers the confidence that the cocoa in them has been produced sustainably,” Brown said.

“It’s difficult to guarantee a sustainable supply of cocoa in the quantities we need in the challenging environment that exists in the Côte d’Ivoire.  But the Nestlé Cocoa Plan is starting to make significant progress in these areas which ultimately improves the social and economic conditions of farmers and their families,” he said.