Financial Mail and Business Day

Fake chocolate sidesteps cocoa’s biggest problems

Clara Hernanz Lizarraga

For thousands of years, humans have been drawn to chocolate. Its production these days, though, is linked to widespread deforestation and child labour, posing an ethical quandary for consumers. A British start-up says it has the answer: a guilt-free alternative that can be indistinguishable from the real thing.

Chocolate’s irresistible flavours depend on the fermentation of cocoa that occurs shortly after harvesting, when beans are piled under banana leaves and left for several days. In its east London facility, WNWN Food Labs aims to replicate that process using British barley and carob —a member of the legume family, widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods — from southern Europe.

Squares sampled by Bloomberg Businessweek journalists were convincing imitations of cocoa-based bonbons in terms of taste, texture and appearance; a hazelnut variety was a more believable substitute than the milk chocolate one.

WNWN — pronounced “win win” and originally derived from the phrase “waste not, want not”

— uses gas chromatography mass spectrometry techniques employed by vegan food manufacturers to analyse a particular chocolate’s flavours and aromas at the molecular level and to identify traits it wants to mimic.

“The real drivers of the flavour creation, the way we tease these flavour molecules out of our plant-based substrate ingredients, is the fermentation,” says Johnny Drain, WNWN’s co-founder and chief technology officer.

Other start-ups with similar ambitions include Munichbased Planet A Foods, which makes fake chocolate treats from fermented oats, and California Cultured, which uses cacao cells to produce labgrown chocolate.

Two decades ago, big chocolate makers such as Nestlé, Mars and Hershey signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol, a pledge to end the worst forms of child labour in their supply chains. But the US department of labour estimates that 1.56-million children still work in the industry. And after cattle, oil palm and soya, cocoa is the commodity that’s replaced the most forests globally. Ivory Coast, the top cocoa producer, has lost about 85% of its forests since the 1960s, mainly as a result of the trade.

Sweets companies have set targets for cocoa purchases that are certified as ethical by groups such as Fairtrade International and Rainforest Alliance. They’re trying to improve the traceability of beans beyond their direct suppliers. They’ve started educational initiatives and programmes to help families get children back into school. But non-profit campaigners argue there’ sa simpler solution to the industry’s ills: companies need to pay more for their cocoa. Ghana and Ivory Coast have imposed surcharges and premiums on cocoa exports to bolster farmers’ livelihoods, but some buyers have been able to negotiate out of paying up, particularly during times of weaker demand.

Growing consumer awareness about cocoa’s dark side has opened the door to entrants selling premiumpriced bars that are advertised as sustainable and ethical. The most notable is Amsterdambased Tony’s Chocolonely Bars, founded in 2005 by three journalists, which says it can trace 100% of the beans it sources. But even Tony’s finds child labour in its supply chain.

WNWN says it’s better to avoid cocoa altogether.

The company plans to open a factory in Portugal next year where it aims to produce up to 150,000kg a month. It released two limited-edition bars in 2022 and plans to make one product available in UK supermarkets next year. Eventually it wants to supply big food companies with alternatives to chocolate and other ingredients that pose sustainability and ethical issues, such as vanilla and coffee.

“We call ourselves an alternative ingredients company,” says Ahrum Pak, co-founder and CEO.

Drain says opting for alternative ingredients could allow Nestlé to use 60% less water in the making of its Kit Kat, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions effect of the bar’s production by 80%.

Nestlé declined to comment on the prospects for cocoa-free chocolate. A spokesperson says the company sources half of its cocoa through its Cocoa Plan, which aims to curb child labour and tackle deforestation in producing countries. Its initiatives include offering farmers cash incentives for keeping their children in school and adopting regenerative agriculture practices.

One challenge for makers of imitation chocolate is that they’re going after the same target market as such brands as Tony’s Chocolonely, and it’s unclear whether consumers will make the switch, says Arlin Wasserman, founder of food consulting firm Changing Tastes.

It’s also difficult for people to ascertain which brands are really succeeding at weeding out child labour, he says.

“Most of the chocolate products that I see are all making a claim to address the issue,” says Wasserman.

The cocoa-free companies can learn from producers of meat substitutes, says Cyrille Filott, global strategist for consumer foods, packaging and logistics at Rabobank.

“Initially it is about creating attention, which requires a lot of money,” Filott says. “And from there, hopefully the product has a good taste and texture.”

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2022-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

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