Non-profit ProTerra Foundation is taking on the running of Mondelez International's Harmony wheat sustainability programme.
The move turns Harmony into an "independent certification scheme" open to businesses across the European wheat supply chain, the Cadbury maker said in a statement today (28 September).
The change comes amid new EU rules on sustainability labelling. The EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, which took effect yesterday (27 September), introduces new requirements for sustainability labels to be independently governed and open to broader participation.
According to Mondelez, the new directive was "an important catalyst" but does not require certification schemes to be third-party owned.
"Mondelez International chose to transfer ownership to ProTerra both to reinforce the separation of roles and to make Harmony easier for other companies to adopt. The regulatory timetable accelerated the transition; the strategic rationale is to broaden the scheme's reach," the Belvita brand owner told Just Food.
"It requires private sustainability labels to be based on schemes with publicly available requirements, transparent, fair and non-discriminatory access and independent third-party monitoring."
Under the new set-up, ProTerra will govern Harmony, supported by third-party audits covering the full supply chain.
"Our role is to become the independent steward of the Harmony standard and certification system," ProTerra MD Emese van Maanen told Just Food. "This means that ProTerra will be responsible for the governance and oversight of the standard, while ensuring that it remains transparent, credible, and continuously improved.
"ProTerra's role is not to replace the excellent work already done through Harmony. Our role is to provide the independent governance structure that helps Harmony continue to develop and gain broader recognition over time."
Harmony was launched in France in 2008 by Mondelēz’s legal predecessor, Kraft Foods, as a sustainable wheat sourcing initiative.
Mondelēz said Harmony will continue to remain "a core pillar" of its sustainability strategy. The US snacks giant will stay involved as a member, backing “innovation, pilot projects and farmer engagement”.
Guillaume Sauzay, Mondelēz International’s sustainable agriculture lead in Europe, said: “By evolving into an independent certification scheme, Harmony is now ready to scale its impact beyond Mondelēz International and contribute more broadly to the transformation of European wheat production.”
According to Mondelēz's 2025 'Snacking Made Right' report, which tracks the company's progress across ESG commitments, the group sourced all its wheat for its European biscuits wheat under the Harmony programme last year.
The scheme now involves more than 1,200 farmers and spans around 57,000 hectares of wheat cultivation.
In the report, Mondelez said it was rolling out "a strengthened charter of farming practices" designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from Harmony wheat fields.
As of 2025, seven European countries are part of the programme: Belgium, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Spain.
Van Maanen added: "Mondelez is the founding developer of Harmony and has invested years of expertise, resources, and commitment into building the programme. That experience remains extremely valuable. Going forward, Mondelez will become an important stakeholder of the standard. Mondelez will remain a key voice in the future of Harmony, but within a broader, multi-stakeholder governance framework."
