LONDON: From cocoa to tea, food and drink giants are setting their own standards for ethical sourcing of raw materials, moving away from third-party labels such as Fairtrade.
Mondelez International, owner of chocolate brands Cadbury and Toblerone, Unilever, behind tea brands such as Lipton and PG Tips, and Barry Callebaut, the world’s biggest producer of chocolate and cocoa products, have all introduced their own schemes.
They say their targets are more comprehensive and some claim their schemes are more effective in tracking whether a product is ethically sourced every step of the way. With companies under financial pressure, analysts say it has also been a way to save money.
But critics are worried that the standards that third-party groups such as UTZ Certified or Rainforest Alliance have fought to establish risk being muddled and what is deemed ethical and sustainable could become more ambiguous.
“Standards measuring environmental and social issues need to be transparent because, once this process happens behind closed doors, it is difficult to see how companies and farms apply them,” said Sloane Hamilton, labor rights policy adviser at Oxfam, a charity focused on alleviating poverty.
“We don’t want to see standards watered down, and neither do we want customers to be faced by a bewildering proliferation of different certification schemes.”
Third-party certifiers are not opposed to all self-certification, even though the loss of fees could threaten their future. Rather, they are worried standards could become meaningless if too many companies set their own criteria.
Mondelez started selling the first Green & Black’s chocolate in the UK without a Fairtrade logo in August, more than 23 years after the brand’s Maya Gold bar received Britain’s first mark.
The bar instead carries the stamp of “Cocoa Life,” a Mondelez scheme started in 2012 with broad goals including improved productivity, protection of fertile land and gender equality in farming communities.
Mondelez says Fairtrade is still an “implementing partner” and the group’s auditing arm is used to vet cocoa sourced through “Cocoa Life.”
Fairtrade, a non profit, aims to push for a better deal for farmers and workers in developing nations. It sets standards, including a minimum price for raw materials, and requires companies to contribute toward businesses or community projects, in exchange for the Fairtrade stamp.
But as the concept of ethically-sourced ingredients has become better understood by consumers, brands have started adopting standards that work for their business and image.
“It’s opened the door for companies to say ‘well let’s develop a standard that suits our business and also has the impact that we want to have on the ground,” said Alan Rownan, ethical labels analyst at Euromonitor.
Crafting in-house standards has also become a way to trim costs for big companies under financial pressure as economic growth slows and consumers opt for healthier snacks or smaller, more artisan brands.
“When the whole market is certified, the ability to have a higher price for it becomes less,” said Jon Cox, analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich, who follows companies such as Nestle and Barry Callebaut.
“So why not bring it in-house anyway and save money? And if they can convince consumers that it’s as good as some of the independents, if not better, then that maybe helps them as well.”
DEEPER INVOLVEMENT
While third-party labels have had a leading role in the drive to stamp out practices such as deforestation and child labor on farms, they have also faced criticism.
Think-tanks and industry groups say the way they enforce standards is not transparent enough and they have failed to align their programs to reduce complexity. Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified are now expected to streamline their standards after recently announcing plans to merge.
With consumer awareness growing, companies are also seeking to track more closely the sourcing of their ingredients and show the impact of certification to their consumers.
Fairtrade ensures that the sourcing of raw materials including coffee and bananas can be traced at every step of farming and processing but it does not provide the same guarantee for cocoa and tea.
It says certified cocoa beans are difficult to track as they can get mixed with conventional beans at the processing stage in countries that do not have the capacity to keep them separate.
This means a Fairtrade chocolate bar may be made with certified and conventional cocoa, with the label only guaranteeing that the company buys a percentage of Fairtrade beans and that any premium paid goes to farmers certified by the organization.
Some food and drinks companies say, as part of their move to new standards, they are taking a more active role in sourcing to show consumers a clearer link.
For example, Barry Callebaut built a dedicated ethically-sourced cocoa butter tank in a factory in Belgium and it has launched a mobile app aimed at improving traceability on farms in the Ivory Coast.
Mondelez does not track cocoa through the entire supply chain, but it says Cocoa Life has allowed for a deeper involvement with farmers. The company uses digital mapping in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Indonesia to boost transparency and traceability from farm to processing facility.
“When you’re simply a buyer of raw materials, then in a typical supply chain, you’re not involved directly on the ground,” said Jonathan Horrell, global director of sustainability for Mondelez.
Some companies have also set deadlines for eliminating unsustainable practices from their supply chain and, as they approach, the pressure to find solutions has intensified.
Unilever has promised to source 100 percent of its materials sustainably by 2020 using both certification and its own “Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code.”
Barry Callebaut is also aiming to source 100 percent of its ingredients sustainably by 2025, up from 23 percent in 2015. It buys cocoa through external schemes and its own “Cocoa Horizons” program.
“They’re under pressure to reach these (goals),” Rownan said. “And it’s not always easy to reach 100 percent targets following these mainstream, rigid certifications.”
SAVVY CONSUMERS
While critics of self-certification worry about muddling standards, consumers are growing savvier. The companies say they risk a fierce backlash if they try to loosen the rules.
“If you connect your name to it...then you want to make sure what you’re putting out there is absolutely credible,” said Christiaan Prins, head of external affairs for Barry Callebaut. “The consumer nowadays can no longer be tricked in any sense.”
Sainsbury’s angered consumers and watchdogs in June when it replaced the Fairtrade mark on its own-brand tea with its pilot “Fairly Traded” version, with an eye to possibly extending it to other products such as coffee and bananas.
Under “Fairly Traded,” farmers will get “above and beyond” what they were receiving from Fairtrade and it should help make them more resilient to climate change, said Sainsbury’s head of media relations David Nieberg.
But critics say the scheme takes control away from farmer organizations, who will no longer directly receive a premium for their tea. The premium will be managed by the Sainsbury’s Foundation and will be used to fund farmers’ strategic projects.
Sainsbury’s will not pay licensing fees to Fairtrade but will continue to buy tea from farmers certified by the group. It will also purchase from farmers vetted by other groups if it decides they meet its in-house rules for ethical sourcing, Nieberg said.
Consumer scrutiny is likely to be even greater toward companies using self-made schemes to meet ambitious targets for “sustainable” sourcing — a label that is already ambiguous because it has many standards and meanings.
“When companies move away from certifiers and all of a sudden are able to far more easily achieve their sustainability goals – well what’s changed?” said Rownan. “I think consumers will want to know.”
With questions about their future, third-party certifiers are trying to adapt to the potential dent to licensing fees, which made up 11 million euros ($13.04 million) or 63 percent of Fairtrade International’s income in 2015.
“We’re trying to show them the stories behind the investment,” said Dario Soto Abril, chief executive officer at Fairtrade International. “We’re making a big effort to listen to companies and adapt and innovate within our model.”
Fairtrade also hopes to expand through new partnerships with groups such as Lidl and Aldi, said Abril. Fairtrade’s auditing arm, FLOCERT, also launched an online platform called Fairtrace, to make it easier to track products through the supply chain. ($1 = 0.8434 euros)
How fair is our food? Big companies take reins on sourcing schemes
How fair is our food? Big companies take reins on sourcing schemes
Saudi flavors steal the show at Taste of London food festival
- Camel milk and date ice cream among the tasty treats on offer
- Head of Culinary Arts Commission says she hopes visitors will be inspired
LONDON: Thousands of food fans have been converging on Regent’s Park this week to sample the very best of Saudi cuisine and culture at the Taste of London food festival.
Making its second appearance at the event, the Taste of Saudi Culture pavilion is an initiative backed by the Kingdom’s Culinary Arts Commission.
“Food is the first introduction to culture and it’s how you consume a culture, how you understand the people,” Mayada Badr, the commission’s CEO, told Arab News.
“I love the curiosity I see when we have a stand. People are very curious to try … they want to learn.”
She said the aim of the initiative was “to showcase, as Saudi people, our unique and diverse culinary heritage.”
With more than 4,000 people visiting the event in the first two days, Badr, a former executive chef, said she was delighted with the turnout.
“We were here last year and we loved the feel, we loved how warm and welcoming everyone was.”
After the success of 2023, the Saudi pavilion at this year’s event is larger and since the start of the festival on Wednesday has been serving up all manner of national and regional dishes.
Among the highlights are jareesh, a crushed wheat dish served with stewed onions and black lemon, muttabaq, a spicy filled omelet pancake, and balilah, a chickpea salad.
Visitors to the pavilion can also watch live cooking demonstrations, take part in a Saudi coffee ceremony, or treat themselves to a gift, such as a cookbook, handicraft or tasty snack.
“People come for the coffee ceremony but also the dates,” Badr said. “We’re known for the best quality dates in the world.”
Saudi Arabia is home to about 400 varieties of dates, which are used to make everything from syrup to honey and maamoul, the traditional filled cookie eaten by Hajj pilgrims in Mecca.
The pavilion also aims to educate visitors about the thousands of ingredients that are grown across the Kingdom and how they are being used to change peoples lives.
Yahya Maghrebi, from Kerten Hospitality, is involved an initiative in Saudi Arabia that teaches women how to make ice cream.
“The gelato is a great example of blending traditions with innovation,” she said.
“We did Taste of Paris, now London, and we’re just showcasing what we’re doing in the region. Wherever we go, we care a lot about locality and community and we always try to bring the flavors of the area.”
For the London event, Maghrebi and her team created several new ice cream flavors, including Taif rose water, Jazan mango and the crowd-favorite camel milk with dates.
Badr said: “London is a huge melting pot of a city. People come from different cultures, different backgrounds. And what better backdrop to showcase cuisine and heritage?
“We have so much to offer, from traditional foods to all the high-end restaurants, but honestly, the homegrown traditional foods are some of the best in the world.”
She said she hoped people would be inspired by the tastes and flavors the Kingdom had to offer.
“I think it’s nice to always share techniques and flavors with the rest of the world, because you never know what they can do with it.
“It’s just sharing a piece of you and a piece of heritage. And that’s, you know, the Saudi hospitality.”
The Taste of London festival runs until Sunday.
Recipes for success: Chef Cedric Vongerichten at The Edition in Jeddah offers advice and a tasty fritters recipe
DUBAI: “My dream wasn’t to be a soccer player or a musician or a doctor,” says Cedric Vongerichten, head chef of the French-Asian eatery Maritime at The Edition in Jeddah. “This is what I was meant to do — and to be.”
It’s hard to argue. Vongerichten was born in Thailand to French parents who were in the country because Vongerichten’s father was head chef at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. By the time Vongerichten was two, the family had settled in New York after stints in Portugal and Boston.
Vongerichten says his own passion for cooking starting at the age of eight or nine. “(I would finish) school and head home — which was a hotel at the time — and I’d spend my free time in the kitchen doing pastries and helping out. That was all I thought about.”
He started serious cooking lessons in the south of France when he was 14 and has since traveled the world to learn about different cuisines and cultures.
When you started out what was the most common mistake you made?
I’d say overcomplicating things and not having a clear vision of the dish. Sometimes you just have to step back and look at the whole picture. The more you practice, the more things work automatically and you don’t have to think about it anymore.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
When you’re at home it’s very easy to make your kitchen a mess and have pots and pans everywhere. That’s when it gets difficult to focus. Cooking, honestly, is 50 percent cooking and 50 percent cleaning; it’s really important to keep things clean and organized. Then when it comes to the actual cooking, keep it simple. People will be more impressed with (good quality ingredients) than with something overly complicated.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Chili. I can’t live without it and nor can my family. It makes the dish very exciting from beginning to end.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. It’s part of our job. But I’m not vocal about it, whether positive or negative. I don't want to ruin someone else’s experience. Everybody wants to just have a nice dinner.
What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants?
I’d say my pet peeve is lighting. I really like light to be done well. It creates a vibe. If the light is maybe gray, or too bright, it can make you feel like you don’t want to stay too long.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
We can’t live without our Asian fix. We need it at least once or twice a week, whether it’s Japanese, Indonesian, or Thai.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
Seafood takes me 15 to 20 minutes. Two nights ago, I did a simple local black sea bass. You just simply sear it skin-side down in a pan. And right now it’s the season for asparagus, so we had some boiled salted asparagus with olive oil and rice. Sometimes for the kids I’ll do roast chicken, they love that. I put it in a pan with potatoes, onion, garlic, water, salt, and olive oil, and sometimes I add rosemary. I put the chicken on top and put it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. The sauce does itself because of the dripping chicken and the potatoes. It doesn’t make much of a mess and it’s pretty easy and tasty.
What customer request or behavior most annoys you?
I don’t like to say no, so, in terms of requests, if we have the ingredients, then we just do it. The only thing that I don’t appreciate is when the service team gets disrespected.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
It depends on the season. Right now, I would do say a fluke — the fish. It’s very simple and very good with just olive oil, a little squeeze of lime juice, a little salt, lemon zest, and, of course, some chili on top.
I also love to do bouillabaisse. It’s a Mediterranean fish soup. It takes a long time. On top of the fish, you have some lobster, more fish, some potato and a piece of bread. There’s also a lot of saffron inside. It’s such a fun dish. And it’s very, very tasty.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Pastries can be difficult. You need to be very precise. You need to actually weigh everything by the gram. Also, from country to country, it’s completely different, because — first of all — the weather is very different. There is the factor of humidity and temperature. The products, like flour, are different. So, you have to adjust to all of that. It’s very technical.
As a head chef, what are you like in the kitchen?
I feel like I experienced the end of an era in France when there were still chefs yelling and throwing things around. I remember seeing that in France. But it’s definitely phased out. Did I scream a little bit at beginning of my career? Maybe, but I’m definitely not like that now. In a team, everybody reacts differently, so you have to manage people differently. Some people need a little more coaching, others have a more independent approach. As a manager and as a chef, this is where you have to be flexible. I can be laidback, but I also want to have great results and the proper product. In the long run, you can see that most people want to stay with us for a long time. So that speaks for itself.
RECIPE: Chef Cedric’s fritters
Ingredients:
90g all-purpose flour; 30g rice flour; 8g baking powder; 3g salt; 130g water; 25g scallions, green tops sliced on the bias; 300g corn kernels; 10g Fresno chili; vegetable oil for frying
Instructions:
1. Put the all-purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Whisk in water until just combined.
3. Add scallions, corn kernels and Fresno chili.
4. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottom pan.
5. Heat oil until it shimmers but doesn’t smoke (350°F).
6. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter mixture into the hot oil at a time without overcrowding (for larger fritters, use about 1⁄2 cup of batter each).
7. Flatten fritters slightly with a spatula, then press the spatula into the fritters a few times to create indentations for crispy edges.
10. Cook until batter turns golden brown on the bottom, then flip and cook until the other side matches (about two mins more).
11. Remove fritters and place on a platter lined with paper towels.
12. Serve hot with spicy kecap manis (sweet soy) dipping sauce and garnish with sliced scallions.
Where We Are Going Today: ‘Le Vesuvio’ restaurant at Jeddah Yacht Club
- The milk-fed veal Milanese was equally delightful, extra crispy yet tender, accompanied by a fresh rocket and cherry tomato salad and slices of parmesan cheese
Le Vesuvio, the renowned Cannes eatery established more than 50 years ago, has found a home at Jeddah Yacht Club, nestled alongside the tranquil waters of the Red Sea.
The restaurant offers modern Italian cuisine with a French touch, and is a place to gather, share, and celebrate friendships.
Their signature mocktail aperitivo Italiano is a refreshing mix of grapefruit, lemon, and peach, while passion’tini comes with tropical mango, tangy lemon, and passionfruit flavors.
For appetizers, we tried Le Vesuvio mista, a salad of mixed greens, radicchio, grilled squash, cherry tomatoes, rocca, feta cheese, and sunflower seeds. I added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for extra taste.
Melanzane alla parmigiana followed, a tower of oven-cooked eggplant, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh basil, and tomato sauce.
Since the restaurant draws inspiration from Italian cuisine, we could not resist ordering the Napoli pizza quattro stagioni, which was topped with an array of ingredients, including mushrooms, black olives, pepperoni, artichoke, and Cantal cheese.
For mains, I savored the homemade fettuccine alfredo with tender chicken and creamy sauce. The milk-fed veal Milanese was equally delightful, extra crispy yet tender, accompanied by a fresh rocket and cherry tomato salad and slices of parmesan cheese. The generous portions were more than satisfying, perfect for sharing or enjoying solo.
For desserts, we indulged in the signature pecan mille-feuille, layers of delicate pastry filled with hazelnut and almond cream, caramel, and topped with caramelized hazelnuts, pecans, and red and black berries.
The presentation, with the mille-feuille layers elegantly arranged vertically, showed off the chef’s artistry and attention to detail.
Le Vesuvio’s modern interior, featuring comfortable seating and a beautiful lemon tree centerpiece, provided a serene ambiance complemented by the stunning sea view.
For more information visit their Instagram @levesuvio.sa.
‘This is for Palestine,’ says chef Michael Rafidi after coveted James Beard Award win
CHICAGO: A Palestinian chef using ancient cooking techniques, a Senegalese restaurant in New Orleans and an upscale Thai restaurant in Oregon won coveted James Beard Awards Monday at a red carpet awards ceremony in Chicago.
More than 100 restaurants were finalists across 22 categories for the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars with diverse range of cuisine and chef experience, a recent shift following turbulent, pandemic-era years for the James Beard Foundation. Just being a finalist can bring wide recognition and boost business. The most anticipated categories included awards for outstanding restaurateur, chef and restaurant.
Michael Rafidi, whose Washington, D.C., restaurant Albi was awarded a coveted Michelin Star in 2022, won outstanding chef among five finalists. Albi, which is Arabic for “my heart,” pays homage to Rafidi’s Palestinian roots by using Old World food preparation techniques. Everything is cooked over charcoal, including grape leaves stuffed with lamb and sfeeha, a meat pie.
“This is for Palestine and all the Palestinian people out there," Rafidi told The Associated Press after winning the award. Rafidi, who wore a traditional black-and-white checkered keffiyeh, said he kept thinking of his Palestinian grandfather, who was also a chef, and how he paved the way for him.
Restaurants apply for the awards. Judges, who mostly remain anonymous, try the cuisine before voting. Nominees are reviewed for the food, as well as for a behavioral code of ethics, including how employees are treated. On Monday, winners announced at the Lyric Opera of Chicago venue were given engraved medallions.
The award for best new restaurant went to Dakar NOLA, a Senegalese restaurant in New Orleans.
“I always knew that West Africa has something to say,” said chef Serigne Mbaye. “That kept me going.”
The James Beard Foundation has bestowed awards since 1991, except in 2020 and 2021 when the organization scrapped them as the restaurant industry was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation was also facing criticism over a lack of racial diversity and allegations about some nominees’ behavior. Foundation officials vowed to improve ethical standards and be more “reflective of the industry.”
An upscale Thai restaurant that uses Pacific Northwest ingredients, Langbaan won outstanding restaurant, while Chicago restaurant Lula Cafe, a bistro that opened in 1999 on the city's North Side, won an award for outstanding hospitality.
Erika and Kelly Whitaker, a Colorado couple, won outstanding restauranteur.
Their Id Est Hospitality Group runs several Colorado restaurants including The Wolf’s Tailor, which serves wild game like smoked venison. Its restaurants have a focus on zero waste and sustainability practices.
“We don't particularly chase these awards," Kelly Whitaker said. “But we definitely chase the platform this brings.”
Dubai’s Tresind Studio on World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list
DUBAI: Dubai’s Tresind Studio has secured a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list announced in Las Vegas on Thursday.
The restaurant — which also holds two Michelin stars — was named the Best Restaurant in Middle East and Africa and was placed 13th on the overall list.
Tresind Studio is helmed by Indian chef Himanshu Saini and is located at St. Regis Gardens on Palm Jumeirah.
The restaurant was also included in last year’s list, where it ranked 11th.
The awards ceremony honors restaurants from 24 territories across five continents.
