UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside Cocoa Code of Conduct

After public and stakeholder consultation and testing in pilot projects in Côte d'Ivoire UTZ CERTIFIED has now launched the Code of Conduct for Cocoa version 1.0.

The UTZ CERTIFIED Cocoa Code of Conduct

The UTZ CERTIFIED Cocoa Code of Conduct sets practical and meaningful requirements for sustainable cocoa production. Because of the mainstream character of the program, not only socially and environmentally responsible growing practices are covered by the Code, but also efficient and professional farm management, food safety and traceability.

Because more than 90% of world cocoa production is produced by smallholder farmers, this code of conduct is developed for use by smallholder farmers. UTZ CERTIFIED aims to not only work with formal farmer organisations but also with more loosely organized producer groups. An additional document for larger scale producers and estates may be created when the need arises.

Leading principles

In the development of the code, the following principles are leading:

• Meaningful: The code must include professional agricultural, business and organizational practices, social and environmental issues, food safety, quality improvement and traceability, to have a positive effect on social, environmental as well as economic sustainability of smallholder cocoa production.
• Practical and credible: The code must include realistically achievable control points and measurable and auditable indicators (these indicators may be further elaborated outside the Code itself).
• Inclusive: The code will be workable for smallholder producers.
• Efficient: The code must be applied within the mainstream constraints of the cocoa sector and market, creating extra value for all parties against the minimal additional costs.
• Accepted: The code must be broadly accepted, not only within all parts of the chain but also in the societal and institutional environment in which the chain is embedded.

Cocoa Code of Conduct version 1.0

In the first half of 2008, public consultation rounds took place for the first draft documents, followed by an extensive revision by expert stakeholders.

Based on the extensive feedback on the cocoa code, we designed a new approach and adjusted the content. The new structure aims at continuous improvement: major points are to be complied with in a period of 4 years and not at once, as is now the case. In this way also less advanced smallholder producers can enter the program.

The new version of the code has been tested in pilot projects and local stakeholders have reviewed it during consultation workshops. Based on the feedback from the field, the final version is now available!

If you have questions about the code and the code development process, please check our website or contact Angela Tejada of our Certification Department at angela.tejada @ utzcertified.org.