Cacao, the raw material for chocolate, faces supply anxiety due to climate change. Amid this, AEON has been selling the chocolate alternative "Choco ka?" using sunflower seeds since 2025, drawing attention as a sustainable-food rollout at a major distributor. AEON's cacao-free ch...

Cacao, the raw material for chocolate, faces supply anxiety from climate change. Amid this, AEON began selling "Chococa?", a chocolate substitute using sunflower seeds, from 2025, drawing attention as a sustainable-food rollout at a major retailer.

AEON releases cacao-free chocolate. The raw material is sunflower seeds

"Chococa?" is a chocolate substitute that uses no cacao at all, with sunflower seeds as the main raw material. Its approach is characterized by achieving a flavor and texture close to chocolate while reducing dependence on cacao production areas. By landing on AEON Group shelves, the chance for ordinary consumers, not just an environmentally minded niche, to pick it up has broadened.

Cacao production is concentrated near the equator in Africa and Central and South America, and yields tend to become unstable due to climate change. In addition, the problem of child labor in production areas has long been pointed out. Amid rising demand for a "substitute ingredient that's delicious and kind to the environment," a major supermarket commercializing this can be called a turning point.

Substitute foods, from "something special" to "everyday goods"

Just as substitute meat and plant-based milk have spread, the same movement is beginning in the chocolate domain. In Japan, research into "mycelium meat" (a technology that cultures koji mold to achieve a texture close to beef) and cultured eel is also advancing, and efforts to substitute the ingredient itself are accelerating.

Behind such moves lies the challenge common to the food industry: "stable sourcing of raw materials." Lowering dependence on a single production area or single item also means reducing supply-chain risk for a company. "Chococa?" carries not only environmental appeal but the practical meaning of diversifying raw-material sourcing too.

The "redefinition of ingredients" common to the vegetable-processing industry too

"Substituting a raw material that had been the star with a different ingredient" -- this idea also connects to the world of dried-vegetable and powder processing. By powdering or drying off-spec vegetables and processing residue, new product value that overcomes appearance issues is born.

Upcycled food brands to watchThe trend of is the same not only in the chocolate industry but in the primary processing of vegetables.The nutritional value and benefits of vegetable powderAs is being re-evaluated, the value of processing technology that uses ingredients without waste is rising.Sustainable foods that Gen Z choosesCombined with this trend, the combination of "substitute, upcycle, domestic ingredient" looks set to become a keyword for future product development.

References:Japan’s New Food Trends in 2026（Eat-Japan）