US chocolate manufacturer Hershey has announced it will be launching certified Hershey's Bliss chocolates, which are made with 100% certified cocoa. The products will hit the shelves this holiday season.
In January, the company announced that it will make all of its Hershey's Bliss milk, dark and white chocolates from Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.
Certified cocoa is sourced from farms that have met comprehensive sustainability objectives that seek to protect the environment and the safety and well-being of workers, their families and communities.
Hershey's Kisses and Bliss brand director Kristin Harper said that Hershey's Bliss chocolates are made using distinct and high-quality ingredients.
"Now consumers can enjoy the smooth taste of Hershey's Bliss® chocolates and know that they are helping to protect the environment and supporting safe and healthy conditions for family cocoa farmers," Harper added.
Hershey's Bliss chocolates are available at more than 35,000 retail outlets across the US. The certified products began rolling out this fall and continue to arrive at retailers across the country. The chocolates can be identified with a distinctive Rainforest Alliance green frog seal on the exterior bag packaging.
The Rainforest Alliance certification process utilizes independent inspectors to monitor and audit the labor and farming practices on farms supplying certified beans used to make Hershey products.
In October, Hershey announced its plan to source 100% certified cocoa for all of its chocolate product lines around the world by 2020 and accelerate its sustainability programs in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
