National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN ISO 34101‑1:2020+A1:2024. It is identical to ISO 34101‑1:2019, incorporating amendment 1:2024. It supersedes BS EN ISO 34101‑1:2020, which is withdrawn.

The start and finish of text introduced or altered by amendment is indicated in the text by tags. Tags indicating changes to ISO text carry the number of the ISO amendment. For example, text altered by ISO amendment 1 is indicated by .

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee AW/34, Food Technical Committee Chairmen.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 May 2019.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 June 2020.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

European foreword

The text of ISO 34101‑1:2019 has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34 "Food products” of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and has been taken over as EN ISO 34101‑1:2020 by Technical Committee CEN/TC 415 “Sustainable and Traceable Cocoa” the secretariat of which is held by DS.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by December 2020, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by December 2020.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice

The text of ISO 34101‑1:2019 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 34101‑1:2020 without any modification.

European foreword to Amendment 1

The text of ISO 34101‑1:2019/Amd 1:2024 has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34 "Food products” of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and has been taken over as EN ISO 34101‑1:2020/A1:2024 by CCMC.

This Amendment to the European Standard EN ISO 34101‑1:2020 shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by March 2025, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by March 2025.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice

The text of ISO 34101‑1:2019/Amd 1:2024 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 34101‑1:2020/A1:2024 without any modification.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 415, Sustainable and Traceable Cocoa, in collaboration with ISO Technical Committee TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 18, Cocoa, in accordance with the agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).

A list of all parts in the ISO 34101 series can be found on the ISO website.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

0.1 The ISO 34101 series

The ISO 34101 series specifies requirements for the sustainable production of cocoa beans, for traceability of sustainably produced cocoa and for the scheme for certifying sustainable and traceable cocoa.

Sustainably produced cocoa beans are obtained by fulfilling the management system requirements of either this document or ISO 34101‑4:2019, Annex A or B, and the performance requirements of ISO 34101‑2.

The stepwise approach of the ISO 34101 series comprises three requirement levels: entry, medium and high. The requirements for the three levels for the performance requirements are all specified in ISO 34101‑2. The requirements for the three levels for the cocoa sustainability management system requirements are specified in this document or ISO 34101‑4 as follows:

An organization that is sustainably producing cocoa beans can apply for initial certification to any level and will then be on a path towards a higher level until the high level is reached. The path from entry level to medium level can take up to 60 months. The path from medium level to high level can take up to 60 months.

The performance requirements specified in ISO 34101‑2 are complementary to the cocoa sustainability management system requirements. Only organizations that fulfil both the cocoa sustainability management system requirements (either this document or ISO 34101‑4:2019, Annex A or B) and the performance requirements (ISO 34101‑2) may claim their cocoa beans have been sustainably produced.

ISO 34101‑3 specifies the requirements for traceability of sustainably produced cocoa (fulfilling the requirements of the ISO 34101 series) from an organization that is sustainably producing cocoa beans and throughout the cocoa supply chain.

ISO 34101‑4 specifies the requirements for the scheme for certifying traceable, sustainably produced cocoa conforming to the requirements of the ISO 34101 series and includes the requirements for the entry and medium level for the cocoa sustainability management system.

This document specifies the requirements for the high level of the cocoa sustainability management system. ISO 34101‑4 specifies the requirements for the entry and medium levels.

The overriding objective of this document is to develop, promote and maintain a framework for the sustainable production of cocoa beans based on the principle of continuous improvement.

In order to achieve this objective, this document has been specifically designed to be relevant to interested parties within the cocoa sector, in particular with a view to:

support and encourage all cocoa farmers;
improve the income of cocoa farmers and resilience of their livelihoods;
promote and support farmer organization, when necessary.

Although a diverse range of organizations can apply this document and ISO 34101‑2 to their activities, it is important that farmer organizations be recognized as a key delivery mechanism for a sustainable cocoa economy and that such organizations be robust and truly representative of the registered cocoa farmers they serve. It is expected that interested parties work together to help them achieve this.

0.2 Using a sustainability management system

The adoption of a cocoa sustainability management system is often a strategic decision for an organization.

The objective of the cocoa sustainability management system is primarily to ensure there are clear roles and responsibilities to promote internal planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and to ensure ongoing progress towards cocoa sustainability goals. The cocoa farm development plan (CFDP), a requirement in this document, is intended to be the central tool to achieve continuous improvement and positive impacts.

The potential benefits to an organization implementing a cocoa sustainability management system are:

the establishment and implementation of management practices, which allow the cost effectiveness of the business to be assessed through operational performance indicators;
the ability to consistently provide sustainably produced cocoa that meets specified requirements and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements;
the ability to address risks and opportunities associated with the context and objectives of the organization;
the ability to demonstrate conformity to specified cocoa sustainability management system requirements;
organizational learning, adjustment of the organization's strategy and improvement of its performance.

In the event that registered farmers wish to take over the management of the cocoa sustainability management system from the organization, it is important that registered farmers are encouraged to do so, with the support of the organization, and that their proposal takes into account any outstanding start-up costs relating to the cocoa sustainability management system. In the context of this document, one or more registered farmers may become an organization.

In addition to this document, elements that are integral to sustainability can be considered through other activities or programmes including:

encouraging interested parties to take responsibility for supporting sustainability objectives for cocoa farming;
other initiatives to support rural livelihoods;
development of a physical and social infrastructure.

It is not the intent of this document to impose:

uniformity in the structure of different cocoa sustainability management systems;
alignment of documentation to the clause structure of any part of the ISO 34101 series;
the use of the specific terminology of the ISO 34101 series within the organization.

This document employs the process approach, the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and risk-based thinking.

The process approach enables an organization to plan its processes and their interactions.

The PDCA cycle enables an organization to ensure that its processes are adequately resourced and managed, and that opportunities for improvements are identified and acted on.

Risk-based thinking enables an organization to determine the factors that could cause its processes and its cocoa sustainability management system to deviate from the planned results, to put in place preventive controls to minimize negative effects and to make maximum use of opportunities as they arise. Consistently meeting requirements and addressing future needs and expectations poses a challenge for organizations in an increasingly dynamic and complex environment. To achieve this objective, the organization might find it necessary to implement specific improvement measures in addition to correction, corrective action and continual improvement, innovation and re-organization.

This document conforms to ISO’s requirements for management system standards. These requirements include a high level structure, identical core text, and common terms with core definitions, designed to benefit users implementing multiple ISO management system standards.

In this document:

“shall” indicates a requirement;
“should” indicates a recommendation;
“may” indicates a permission;
“can” indicates a possibility or a capability.

Information marked “NOTE” is for guidance in understanding or clarifying the associated requirement.

0.3 Sustainability management principles

0.3.1 General

This document is based on cocoa sustainability management principles, which are:

cocoa sustainability focus;
leadership;
engagement of people;
process approach;
improvement;
knowledge-based decision making;
relationship management.

Applying these principles is expected to help an organization to meet its cocoa sustainability objectives and improve the livelihoods of registered farmers and their resilience.

0.3.2 Process approach

This document promotes the adoption of a process approach to meet the cocoa sustainability requirements of interested parties when developing, implementing and improving the effectiveness of a cocoa sustainability management system.

Understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its intended results. This approach enables the organization to monitor and control the interrelationships and interdependencies among the processes of the system so that the overall performance of the organization can be enhanced.

The process approach involves the systematic definition and management of processes and their interactions so as to achieve the intended results in accordance with the cocoa sustainability policy and strategic direction of the organization. Management of the processes and the system as a whole can be achieved using the PDCA cycle (see 0.3.3) with an overall focus on risk-based thinking (see 0.3.4) aimed at taking advantage of opportunities and preventing undesirable results.

The application of the process approach in a cocoa sustainability management system enables:

understanding and consistency in meeting requirements;
the consideration of processes in terms of added value;
the achievement of effective process performance;
improvement of processes based on evaluation of data and information.

0.3.3 Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle

The PDCA cycle can be applied to all processes and to the cocoa sustainability management system as a whole. Figure 1 illustrates how Clauses 4 to 10 can be grouped in relation to the PDCA cycle.

The PDCA cycle can be briefly described as follows:

Plan: establish the objectives of the system and its processes, and the resources needed to deliver results in accordance with customers’ requirements and the organization’s policies;
Do: implement what was planned;
Check: monitor and (where applicable) measure processes and the resulting products and services against policies, objectives and requirements and report the results;
Act: take actions to improve performance, as necessary.

0.3.4 Risk-based thinking

Risk-based thinking is essential for achieving an effective cocoa sustainability management system. This is carried out through planning and implementing actions to address opportunities and risks. Addressing both opportunities and risks establishes a basis for increasing the effectiveness of the cocoa sustainability management system, achieving improved results and preventing negative effects.

Opportunities can arise as a result of a situation favourable to achieving an intended result, for example, an option to attract customers, develop new products and services, reduce waste or improve productivity. Risk is the effect of uncertainty in achieving objectives and any such uncertainty can have positive or negative effects. Actions to address opportunities will lead to associated risks.

1 Scope

This document specifies high-level requirements for managementsystems for sustainable cocoa bean production, including post-harvest processes, if applicable, and traceability of the sustainably produced cocoa beans within the organization producing the cocoa beans.

NOTE 1 Post-harvest processes include pod-breaking, fermentation, drying, sorting, packing, transport and storage of cocoa beans.

Only organizations that fulfil both the cocoasustainabilitymanagementsystemrequirements of either this document or ISO 34101‑4:2019, Annex A or B, and the performancerequirements of ISO 34101‑2 can claim their cocoa beans have been sustainably produced.

NOTE 2 ISO 34101‑4 specifies the requirements for cocoasustainabilitymanagementsystems at entry and medium levels.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Context of the organization

4.1 Understanding the organization and its context

4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties

4.3 Determining the scope of the cocoa sustainability management system

4.4 Cocoa sustainability management system and its processes

4.5 Registration of farmers to become part of the organization

5 Leadership

5.1 Leadership and commitment

5.2 Policy

5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities

5.4 Registered farmer representation

6 Planning

6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities

6.2 Cocoa sustainability objectives and planning to achieve them

7 Support

7.1 Resources

7.2 Competence

7.3 Awareness

7.4 Communication

7.5 Documented information

8 Operation

8.1 Operational planning and control

8.2 Planning of activities

8.3 Changes to requirements for sustainable cocoa production

8.4 External provision of processes, products and services

8.5 Traceability of sustainably produced cocoa internally within the organization

9 Performance evaluation

9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation

9.2 Internal audit

9.3 Management review

10 Improvement

10.1 General

10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action

10.3 Continual improvement

Bibliography

BS EN ISO 34101-1:2020+A1:2024

Sustainable and traceable cocoa - Requirements for cocoa sustainability management systems

Current

Published:

30 Sep 2024