Mondelez is continuing to sell Toblerone chocolate in Russia, despite the confectionery manufacturer’s plan to stop importing goods from Europe to the country.
According to internal sales documents seen by Reuters, 100 tonnes of the chocolate, which is made in Switzerland and Slovakia, was sold in Russia in the first four months of 2024, however, volumes had declined 12% from the previous year.
Among other food and drink companies, Mondelez has faced growing pressure from investors and activists to ditch Russia as the Cadbury owner said it planned to make its operations there “standalone with a self-sufficient supply chain” by the end of last year.
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In February, Mondelez told Reuters that there were “no imports of finished goods from Europe into Russia or exports from Russia into Europe”.
However, in a statement, the company said it could be possible that “branded products could be entering Russia through third-party distributors or brokers”.
In 2022, the FMCG giant said it was “scaling back all non-essential activities” in Russia, but stopped short of halting operations completely.
Last month, Cadbury came under fire from a descendant of its founder after he criticised Mondelez’s decision to continue to sell products in Russia as going against the firm’s core values.
James Cadbury – a descendant of John Cadbury who founded the Birmingham-based chocolate brand in 1824 – described the group’s actions as “disappointing”.
Campaigners have also urged the King to revoke the royal warrants of Cadbury, Unilever, Nestlé and Bacardi over their Russian links.
