Study Finds One in Four Cocoa Farm Audits Contain Manipulated Data

ETH researchers discovered that 25% of sustainability audits for cocoa farming in Côte d'Ivoire contain manipulated data designed to meet certification requirements.

• 25 percent of cocoa farm audits in a Côte d'Ivoire program contained manipulated data
• Data manipulation increased when auditors knew the required target values in advance
• Findings aim to help implement the EU Deforestation Regulation