Chocolate Bar to Contribute to Creation of Green Forests

Copyright Meiji Co.

Meiji Co. Ltd. (formerly Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.), a leading manufacturer of confectionary and dairy products in Japan, started on March 8, 2011, to sell a chocolate bar called "Agroforestory Chocolate." The product is made from cacao beans grown under the agroforestry system, which has positive effects on reforestation.

The term "agroforestry" combines agriculture and forestry. It allows the simultaneous growth of various crops on farmland originally produced by deforestation, thereby preserving natural ecological systems. The approach has been practiced by the Japanese immigrants of Tome-Acu, Brazil. Growing a diverse range of plants and crops together on the same farm keeps the soil covered with green plants and provides sustainable production that could not have been achieved under a conventional monocropping system. The agroforestry system is expected to have an effect in biodiversity conservation, as well as in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Meiji aims to continuously contribute to ecosystem conservation by promoting this product among a wide range of eco-conscious consumers.

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Posted: 2011/06/23 06:00:15 AM