Unwrap a bar of...

Chocolate

Fine cacao and chocolate products have proliferated in recent years, and at the same time concerned consumers have sought more education and transparency in relation to the food they eat. The development of meaningful and widespread standards for social and environmental responsibility is ongoing in the chocolate industry, and the Good Food chocolate category recognizes those bean-to-bar makers who are leading the way, creating truly quality bars in every sense.

Standards

Chocolate companies must meet the following standards for at least 50% of their product line:

  • Made by the entrant from cacao to chocolate in the USA or US territories.
  • Free of artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.
  • Free of genetically modified ingredients.
  • All ingredients are grown with minimal or no use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers.
  • Made by a chocolatier that prioritizes waste management and sustainability through water conservation, composting and recycling.
  • Adherent to the FDA standards of identity for chocolate.
  • Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the Good Food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business, as exemplified through integrating these practices:
    • Sponsoring or participating in social or environmental projects.*
    • Creating a safe and healthy work environment where employees receive a fair wage, are safe and respected at work and have access to the resources they need to keep themselves healthy.
    • Offering a diversity, equity, and inclusion training to staff members and/or leadership annually.
    • Thoughtfully acknowledging the heritage of culturally-specific food on websites, packaging and/or marketing materials.
    • If your company is Publicly-held, Owned/Partially-owned by publicly-held compan(y)ies, or has over $100 million in annual revenue, your company, as well as its parent company(ies), are required to meet additional criteria to become Good Food Qualified:
      • Offer a minimum of 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all employees
      • Have at least one woman, minority, or LGBTQIA+ representative on their Board of Directors
      • Have a proven track record of prioritizing a safe and fairly-compensated work culture, with no violations in the area of wage or workplace safety in the past 5 years. This will be verified on the Good Jobs First Violation Tracker

    Cacao must be sourced in compliance with the following standards:

    • The origin of cacao must be traceable, ordinarily to a particular growing region of a country and ideally to a processing facility, farm or cooperative.
    • Cacao sourcers must ensure that price premiums meet or exceed Fair Trade minimums relative to the world commodity price, either through direct trade or through publicly stated policies and in-place processes.
    • Sourced with price transparency throughout the supply chain.
    • Wherever possible, sourced from farms or cooperatives where transparent, documented practices ensure fair and humane work standards for all laborers.
    • Sourced from farms or cooperatives with a transparent, documented emphasis on sustainable farming practices including: water conservation and minimizing or eliminating use of synthetic inputs.

    Other ingredients (cocoa butter, lecithin, vanilla, milk powder, flavorings, inclusions, etc.) must be sourced in compliance with the following standards:

    • Traceable.
    • Wherever possible, sourced from farms or cooperatives where transparent, documented practices ensure fair and humane work standards for all laborers.
    • All dairy and other animal-derived products should be sourced in compliance with the GAP guidelines that define “good animal husbandry.”***
    • Sugar must be organic or Fair Trade certified.****

Apply to join by reaching out to membership@specialtyfood.com.