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In a move to bolster its cocoa supply chain amid growing challenges, Mars – the manufacturer of global brands such as M&M’s, Snickers and Dove chocolate – as entered into a licensing agreement with agricultural gene-editing firm Pairwise.

This partnership aims to leverage advanced CRISPR technology – a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to precisely alter DNA sequences in living cells and organisms – to develop more resilient cocoa plants, addressing the pressing issues of climate variability, plant diseases and environmental stresses affecting cocoa production.

The collaboration grants Mars access to Pairwise's proprietary gene-editing tools and trait libraries, enabling the company to modify the DNA sequences of cocoa plants.

This approach is expected to accelerate the development of cocoa varieties that can withstand adverse conditions, a critical need as supplies from major producers like Ivory Coast and Ghana have dwindled due to unfavourable weather patterns and persistent diseases such as swollen shoot disease.

The resultant supply constraints have driven cocoa prices to record highs, creating urgency within the chocolate manufacturing sector.

This initiative follows Mars's previous commitment in 2018 to invest $1 billion over a decade to support the cocoa supply chain, including funding research at the University of California, Berkeley, to develop disease-resistant cocoa trees using CRISPR technology.

The new agreement with Pairwise represents a continuation of Mars's proactive stance in ensuring a stable cocoa supply, which is crucial for maintaining its product offerings in the competitive confectionery market.

Pairwise CEO Tom Adams noted that traditional breeding methods for improving plant traits can take decades and often yield unpredictable results due to the mixing of numerous genes.

In contrast, CRISPR technology allows for precise modifications, significantly increasing the likelihood of achieving desired traits in a shorter timeframe. This efficiency is particularly valuable for cocoa plants, which typically require three to five years to mature and begin producing.

As Mars advances its gene-editing initiatives, the regulatory landscape surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remains complex. The European Union is currently deliberating guidelines for gene-edited crops, which are largely unregulated in the bloc, while Switzerland is also considering legislative changes to facilitate the commercialisation of gene-edited products.