Between 2000 and 2020, global cacao production grew by 72%, and Peru has been the second country, whose production has grown the most in said period.

Source: https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-peru-center-of-origin-and-world-producer-of-organic-cacao-957352.aspx

Consumer Reports tests, as well as testing done by other organizations, suggest cadmium levels tend to increase with the percentage of cacao.

Source: https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/02/13/dark-chocolate-bars-with-lower-levels-of-heavy-metals-2/

Earlier this month, mine included dishes like Baltic herring with spruce and rye, and beetroot with fermented carrot and cacao beans.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabel/2023/05/30/estonias-padaste-manor-hotel-makes-simple-luxury-out-of-history-and-nature/

However, although it was becoming obvious that the problem did not affect the whole of the cacao growing region in Latin America, it was not clear which regions were the worst affected or what the cause was.

Source: https://phys.org/news/2023-08-cadmium-cacao-problem-isnt-bad.html

I learned that the Minute Maid orange juice comes from Brazil or Costa Rica, their cottage cheese from Utah, and the cacao in chocolate milk is from the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ecuador or the Dominican Republic.

Source: https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/01/22/guest-opinion-spense-havlick-dont-take-the-luxury-of-our-food-supply-for-granted/

In a report, the Philippine Statistics Authority said the output of coconut, coffee, tobacco and cacao increased during the reference period while that of abaca, rubber and sugarcane declined.

Source: https://business.inquirer.net/419362/good-weather-aided-industrial-crops-in-q2

In a sold-out evening, the annual Kidpower Chocoholic Frolic was a delight, combining support for a program “teaching kids to be safe” with a gourmet tasting of rare cacao.

Source: https://gazette.com/life/around-town-chocoholic-frolic-a-delicious-sold-out-evening-to-support-kidpower/article_a4d5b84c-1625-11ee-9bb0-63890a6d6f76.html

Some coffee alternatives only contain natural caffeine from green tea and cacao, for example.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/best-coffee-alternative-2023-top-alternatives-to-coffee-for-energy-worth-trying/

The beans included green and yellow mongo, kadios, red beans, winged beans, cacao, string beans, and “patane” (lima or pop beans) from Aklan, Antique, Iloilo and Capiz.

Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/07/23/twin-launch-skin-care-from-kadios-3d-bioprinting-lab/

There is also great potential to expand the North American market for Haitian agricultural products, including coffee and cacao beans.

Source: https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/14/haiti-crisis-intervention-gangs-colonialism-france-us-history-monetary-policy/

This culminated in a study published in Science of the Total Environment, which synthesized data from over 2,000 samples across Peru, making it the largest study to date of cadmium and cacao.

Source: https://phys.org/news/2023-08-cadmium-cacao-problem-isnt-bad.html

With the biggest market being the EU, these limits put an additional worry on the cacao value chain with possible implications not only for sellers, but also on the livelihoods of farmers.

Source: https://phys.org/news/2023-08-cadmium-cacao-problem-isnt-bad.html