Filières café et cacao, quels avenirs ?

The aim is to inform public and private decision makers (governments, producer representatives, traders, processors, agroindustrial firms, dialogue platforms, scientists) on the main trends and faint signals in the cocoa and coffee value chains, and the tensions or new alliances between stakeholders. The symposium will also present possible solutions, with their advantages and drawbacks, to inform investment decisions and research priorities.

The day will be split into four main sessions:

Topic 1: Coffee and chocolate regulations

This first session will present the regulatory definition of coffee and chocolate in France and in Europe as a whole, through the eyes of experts from the public and private sectors. It will also look at the coming changes to those regulations, notably the matter of substitution by other raw materials from tropical or temperate zones.

Topic 2: Changes among producers and consumers

This session will look at two complementary aspects: the trends that are changing value chains long term (climate change, shifting production zones, agroecological transition, agroforestry, new traceability regulations, impacts for producers and processors, etc) and the faint signals requiring monitoring (more ecologically engaged European consumers, new consumers in producing countries, growing interest in social justice, fairer sharing of added value, etc).

Topic 3: Quality and food safety

Scientists and professionals from the two value chains will be looking at coffee and cocoa quality and food safety. Yields remain low (30 to 40% losses due to pests and diseases), with risks linked to synthetic pesticides, cadmium or other forms of contamination during processing, transport or storage. The 2024 EU directive also obliges firms to monitor social and environmental impacts and human rights issues within their value chain.

Topic 4: Economic and regulatory aspects of sustainability

Industrialists, traders and economic players will be discussing the EU Deforestation and Forest Degradation Regulation (EUDR), which as of 2027 will ban imports of products linked to deforestation post-2021, traceable down to plot level. This is a major challenge for small-scale producers in countries without reliable land registers, who often rely on middlemen. Child labour, legal vs illegal production and a lack of public funding are also major issues.

Full agenda here (in French)