(adds ECA details)
By Neena Rai
European cocoa grindings slumped almost 18% on the year during
the second quarter 2012, to 292,551 metric tons, figures from the
European Cocoa Association showed Thursday.
For the first six months of 2012 total grindings fell 9%, to
645,862 tons from 710,366 tons a year earlier.
Cocoa grindings in Europe--a key measure of demand for the
chocolate ingredient--had run sharply ahead last year compared with
2010, before growth tailed off in the final quarter of 2011.
The ECA accounts for around two-thirds of European cocoa
grindings. ECA grinding members are ADM Cocoa, a unit of Archer
Daniels Midland Co. (ADM); Barry Callebaut AG (BARN.EB); Delfi
Cocoa Europe, a division of Petra Foods Ltd. (P34.SG); ECOM/Dutch
Cocoa; Gerkens Cacao, a unit of Cargill Inc; and Nederland.
Bean processors are Cioccolato Peyrano, Euromar, Ferrero SPA,
Fuchs & Hoffmann, Hachez, Herza, Icam, Kessko, Kraft Foods Inc.
(KFT), Ludwig, Majani, Natra, Nestle SA (NESN.VX), Schokinag,
Schwartauer Werke, Storck, Weinrich and Toms.
-Write to Neena Rai at neena.rai@wsj.com