Location: Home > food > Mars battles cocoa pod borer moth
Mars battles cocoa pod borer mothPosted Sep 5th 2006 8:04PM by Joe DiStefanoFiled under: Snacks, Farming, Chocolate, South Asia, Candy, SugarMars is waging battle in Southeast Asia against a ravenous foe, the cocoa pod borer moth. The company behind such brands as M&Ms, Snickers and Twix is one of the world's largest chocolate producers.It recently sent a team to Papua New Guinea to fight an infestation of the insect, which lays it eggs upon the cocoa pods. The larvae then feed off the pods, destroying them. This is not the first time that the moth has put chocolate producers on high alert. The moth's cocoa-loving larvae plagued a fifth of Indonesia's crop in 1998, causing some $20 million worth of damage. The moths could also devastate Papua New Guinea's economy since cocoa is the country's second-largest agricultural export. Mars is working closely with the USDA to help devise ways to prevent the moth from attacking cocoa plants.
|
Artical Related:
Pac-Man papadum
Chili Mili: Gummies with a kick
The Great Ceviche Book, Cookbook of the Day
Peanut-laced kiss not cause of death
FIZZIT, the fizzy vitamins
