Cadbury-maker Mondelez calls for EUDR deforestation law delay

Cocoa supply chain pressures and limited digital readiness are driving calls to delay the EU’s deforestation law. Credit Shutterstock.

Speaking at the European Parliament last week, Massimiliano Di Domenico, Vice President of Corporate and Government Affairs for Europe at Mondelez International, said the company supports the law’s intentions but urged Brussels to be more pragmatic in its timeline.

Di Domenico wrote in a LinkedIn post following the event.

Why Mondelez wants a delay

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), now scheduled to take effect in December 2025, will require companies importing products such as cocoa, coffee, soy and palm oil to prove their supply chains are free from links to deforestation — or face potential fines.

The law forms part of the EU’s Green Deal and aims to reduce the bloc’s contribution to global forest loss, which is estimated to account for around 10 percent of global deforestation. But the confectionery sector, and the cocoa industry in particular, is warning of significant challenges.

Di Domenico highlighted “soaring prices, declining production, and origin countries still scaling up digital capacity” as critical barriers to compliance. He warned that if companies are not given more time, supply chains could face serious disruption.

What the EU deforestation law means for cocoa

Mondelez’s intervention comes amid growing industry concern about the readiness of global suppliers — particularly smallholder farmers — to meet the regulation’s requirements, which include detailed traceability and geolocation reporting.

Major food producers have expressed similar concerns. Nestlé, Mars Wrigley and Ferrero previously supported the EUDR in principle but jointly urged the EU to offer clearer guidance and transitional support in a 2023 position paper.

In response to such concerns — and pressure from trading partners like Brazil and the United States — the European Commission has already postponed the regulation’s implementation by a year and revised some of the reporting rules. But industry leaders say more adjustments are needed to ensure that the law’s good intentions don’t result in unintended harm to producers or food security.

Di Domenico stressed that Mondelez’s request is not about weakening the law. Instead, he framed the appeal as a constructive step towards effective, lasting change: “It’s not about ambition — it’s about delivery.”

The EU’s final guidance on enforcement and compliance support is expected later this year. With cocoa prices continuing to hit historic highs, and digital infrastructure gaps still evident in major cocoa-producing countries, food manufacturers and legislators face a race against time to strike a balance between sustainability and feasibility.