Use of Seal Guidelines - Rainforest Alliance

Farm Productsfor scaling up supplies from certified farms of thenamed ingredient(s) to 100% content over time.With Option B, the core ingredient(s) must beidentified under or near the seal as well as inthe list of ingredients. For products with below90% certified content, the percentage of the coreingredient’s certified content must be disclosed onthe package.point of the consumer goods manufacturingfacility. In cocoa, components include beans,liquor, butter and powder.2. The combined amounts of certified core ingredientinput from each of the components mustadd up to 100% of the equivalent core ingredientoutput in the consumer product labeled withthe RAC seal.Examples of Labeling Options for Multi-Ingredient Products Bearing the RAC SealOption AOption BFarm ProductsOption C: CONTROLLED BLENDINGThis option applies to businesses manufacturing ahigh-volume, mainstream consumer product in oneor more factories, where complete segregation andphysical traceability of the certified core ingredient(i.e. cocoa) from the factory gate to the finishedproduct is not currently possible.3. Certified inputs are delivered to the factorythroughout the year according to a scheduledsourcing plan and always in advance of the firstproduction of products labeled with the RACseal. Volume reconciliation (bean equivalentfor chocolate) is required on an annual basisand calculated on documented traceability atreal conversion ratios.This option will be considered in the context ofa publicly communicated commitment to sourcingcore ingredients from Rainforest AllianceCertified farms in enough quantities to incentivizefarmers to make the necessary improvements andinvestments. It requires written approval by theRainforest Alliance and may be adapted to accommodatedifferent factory layouts.100% of the core ingredient(s) must be fromcertified farms and physical traceability is requiredfrom the farms to the factory manufacturing theconsumer product. A qualifying statement isrequired on pack and other labeling restrictionsapply (see below).Where recipe matching and segregation for allvariations of the core ingredient are not initiallypossible, the business may request a phase-inplan allowing alternative recipe components assubstitutes (i.e. cocoa beans from different origins;powder solids accounting for cocoa butter solids;certified cocoa liquor when certified butter isunavailable, etc.). In such cases, the business willbe required to develop a written plan approved bythe Rainforest Alliance and will be required toscale up to full recipe matching, normally within18 months.For Option C the following labeling requirementsapply:Option CAs of the publication date of this document,Option C is only available for cocoa. Other categoriesmay be considered in the future.For Option C the following manufacturingrequirements apply:1. Businesses must source and deliver into thefactory 100% of the core ingredient required tomake the product, including all variations onthe ingredient components used in the recipe(i.e. recipe matching). The core ingredient mustremain physically segregated and traceable(with its corresponding Rainforest AllianceTransaction Certificates) up to the factory entryLabeling Options for Multi-Ingredient Products Bearing the RAC SealOption A• 100% of core ingredientsourced from certified farms.• Core ingredient identified nearthe RAC seal.Option B• At least 30% of core ingredientfrom certified farms, must bescaled up over time.• The percentage of RACcontent of the core ingredientmust be disclosed on pack.• Core ingredient identified nearthe RAC seal.For multi-ingredient products bearing the RACseal labeled under Option C rules, the core ingredientmust be identified under or near the seal,and a statement and URL must be visibly placedelsewhere on the package. For example:• We buy cocoa from Rainforest AllianceCertified farms, helping protect theenvironment and farming communities.www.brand.com/rainforestalliance• Advances the production of RainforestAlliance Certified sustainable cocoa.www.brand.com/rainforestallianceOption C• No percentage threshold forcore ingredient in product dueto high-volume manufacturingconstraints.• Qualifying statement required.• Core ingredient identified nearthe RAC seal.The URL must direct readers to a website witha full explanation of the supply chain for theingredients sourced from Rainforest AllianceCertified farms, for example, “www.brand.com/rainforestalliance.”This site must provide sufficient informationabout the business’s sourcing policy and the limitsto traceability of the ingredients from certifiedfarms so that a consumer or any interested partyis fully and clearly informed that the product maynot contain ingredients from certified farms. Forexample:We ensure that all of the cocoa we purchasefor [brand name] and have delivered to ourfactories is traceable to Rainforest AllianceCertified farms. This traceability ensuresthat the farmers making the improvements toearn certification benefit from their efforts.However, given the volumes of chocolateproduced for multiple brands at our factory/ies, we are unable to guarantee traceabilitythrough the final production phase – the individualchocolate product you buy in stores.We are committed to significantly increase thevolume of cocoa we purchase from RainforestAlliance Certified farms, and we will incorporatemore and more of this cocoa into eachof our products produced at the [companymanufacturing facility/ies].The website should also contain information aboutthe company’s commitment to sustainable agriculture,the benefits of certification to farm communitiesand the environment, and details aboutrepresentative farms. Note that all website contentrelating to Rainforest Alliance certification mustbe pre-approved by the Rainforest Alliance.Businesses using the RAC seal under Option Cmay not claim that their finished products “contain”certified ingredients, but instead must focusclaims on the purchasing commitment, claiming“we source” or “we buy” the certified ingredients,highlighting traceability of the certified productsinto their factories and where possible, mentioningthe impact that the sourcing policy has at origin,i.e. “supporting cocoa-growing communities inWest Africa.”22 23