Say goodbye to chocolate: Climate change and volatile weather events are turning once-arable land into inhospitable environments for a number of crops.
Some foods and flavors are such a ubiquitous part of our culture that it’s difficult to envision life without them. Just try to imagine the ice cream aisle at your supermarket in a world without vanilla or chocolate.
For you ice cream lovers, that’s an unnerving thought. But for ice cream manufacturers — and for all of the companies that make the tens of thousands of products that include natural vanilla or chocolate flavoring — that’s a nightmare.
It’s one brand of risk management to prepare your company for a sudden, temporary shortage of key materials caused by a natural disaster. It’s quite another to consider a long-term or even permanent absence of an essential ingredient or part.
Climate change is increasing that risk for a variety of agricultural products. Changing temperature and precipitation patterns and volatile weather event exposures are turning once-arable land into inhospitable environments for certain tender crops. The list of those under known threat includes such core staples as coffee, avocadoes, wine grapes, chickpeas, peanuts and —…
