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Mars reported that suppliers sourced a volume equal to 98% of the cocoa and cocoa ingredients needed for Mars-branded products in 2025 through its Responsibly Sourced Cocoa program, up from 81% in 2024. The company missed its 100% goal, citing volatility in global cocoa markets; its report also describes programs supporting farmers and cocoa production.
Mars said suppliers sourced cocoa equivalent to 98% of the cocoa and cocoa ingredients needed for Mars-branded products in 2025 through its Responsibly Sourced Cocoa program, up from 81% in 2024. The candy and food company missed its 100% target for 2025, according to its annual cocoa progress report, and attributed the shortfall in part to volatility in global cocoa markets.
The figure measures the volume procured through the program against Mars’ cocoa and cocoa-ingredient needs for its branded products; it does not mean that 98% of cocoa farms or individual shipments were certified. Mars’ report says the program requires suppliers to source cocoa from land that has not been deforested or converted from another natural ecosystem. The company has not provided a breakdown in the supplied report summary of how the remaining 2% was sourced.
Mars said global market volatility affected progress toward its 2025 goals. Cocoa prices reached $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025, during a global shortage that led food companies to raise chocolate prices. The company’s report described the year’s market conditions as a challenge, but the available material does not quantify how much the price and supply disruption contributed to the sourcing gap.
The report also highlights supplier and farmer initiatives. In 2025, Mars launched a climate-smart agriculture program with suppliers in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru. The company said it supported 430 farmers in improving long-term resilience, soil health and crop yields. In Latin America, Mars introduced Cocoascan, an AI-powered tool intended to help farmers detect and manage Witches’ Broom, Frosty Pod and Black Pod diseases.
The Gap Between Sourcing and the Goal
The increase from 81% to 98% indicates substantial reported progress, but the missed target matters because Mars is a major buyer whose sourcing requirements can shape practices across its supply chain. The company’s program links procurement to land-use criteria, including avoiding cocoa from land that has been deforested or converted from natural ecosystems.
The result also highlights the difficulty of meeting sustainability commitments in a supply chain exposed to production and price shocks. For consumers, the report offers information about how Mars says it sources cocoa, but it does not establish that every cocoa ingredient in every product came from a qualifying source. Nor does the supplied information set out independent verification details for the 98% figure, so readers should distinguish the company’s reported procurement measure from a broader claim about the entire cocoa industry.
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Mars’ Cocoa Commitments and Response
Mars has published an annual progress report since 2018, when it pledged to spend $1 billion over 10 years to improve the sustainability of its cocoa supply chain. The 2025 sourcing target was part of that broader effort. The latest report says suppliers procured cocoa volume equivalent to 98% of Mars’ needs through the responsible sourcing program, compared with 81% the previous year.
Alongside sourcing measures, Mars has pursued ways to address farming risks and supply constraints. In Indonesia, the company and its suppliers provided farmers with instruction in modern growing techniques. Mars also worked with Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency to release two cocoa clones intended to increase yields in Indonesia and Brazil. Separately, Mars has licensed CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop cocoa plants better able to withstand climate pressures and disease. These activities are described by the company; the supplied material does not report their long-term yield or climate-resilience results.
“While our progress in 2025 fell slightly short of our 100% targets for the 2025 goals, we are proud of our progress in these areas, particularly given the significant volatility in global cocoa markets this past year.”
— Mars, in its Cocoa for Generations Progress Report
What the 98% Figure Leaves Open
The report summary does not explain what happened to the remaining 2% of cocoa and cocoa ingredients relative to Mars’ program requirements, or whether the gap reflects availability, supplier reporting, timing or another factor. It also does not provide enough detail here to assess how the sourcing figure was independently audited or how program compliance is checked across suppliers.
The company cites volatility in global cocoa markets, but the materials provided do not quantify the effect of market conditions on its sourcing performance. The impact of the farming programs, disease-detection tool and new cocoa clones on future yields and the company’s ability to meet its sourcing commitments also remains unclear.
Next Steps for Mars’ Cocoa Supply
Mars has not, in the material provided, announced a revised deadline or a new percentage target following the 2025 shortfall. Its annual reporting means a future progress update is the clearest expected opportunity to see whether sourcing through the program reaches 100% and whether the company supplies more detail about the remaining gap.
Readers can also look for reported outcomes from the farmer programs, Cocoascan and the cocoa clones, including evidence about disease management, yields and resilience. Until Mars releases further results, those initiatives are planned or reported activities rather than proof that supply-chain risks have been resolved.
Key Questions
How much of Mars’ cocoa was sourced through its responsible program in 2025?
Mars said suppliers procured a volume equal to 98% of the cocoa and cocoa ingredients needed for its branded products through the program.
Did Mars meet its 2025 cocoa sourcing target?
No. The company’s target was 100%, and its report says it fell short, reporting 98% for 2025.
What does Mars’ responsible sourcing program require?
According to Mars’ report, suppliers must obtain cocoa from land that has not been deforested or converted from another natural ecosystem.
Why did Mars fall short of its target?
Mars cited significant volatility in global cocoa markets. Cocoa prices reached $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025 during a global shortage, but the company has not quantified how much those conditions contributed to the shortfall.
What happens next?
Mars has not announced a revised target in the information available. A future annual progress report may show whether the company reaches 100% and provide further information about the sourcing gap and its farmer-support programs.
Source: rss
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