Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations: Cadmium in Cacao in Latin-America

In 2019, the European Union set maximum allowable concentrations of cadmium in chocolate and cacao powder. This regulation had an immediate consequence on the cadmium content of cacao beans in some producing countries, prohibiting the export to the EU-market if thresholds are exceeded.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation in Rome asked the NICOLE Foundation, together with EKOS Brazil and NICOLE Latin America, to look into potential solutions to mitigate the uptake of cadmium in cacao trees in Ecuador and in Trinidad & Tobago.

Based on our successful field trip in Trinidad & Tobago, where our investigation concept was tested, all partners agreed to role it out further into other countries.