European cocoa grindings decreased 0.1% on the year during the first quarter of 2012, to 353,311 metric tons, figures from the European Cocoa Association showed Friday.

Indeed, the new data reveal the first year-on-year fall in grindings for a quarter since the final three months of 2009-10.

Cocoa grindings in Europe--a key measure of demand for the chocolate ingredient--had run sharply ahead of the previous year throughout most of 2011, before growth tailed off in the final quarter.

The ECA said it had upwardly revised its estimate for the fourth quarter of 2011 by 435 tons to 349,790 tons, following corrected figures submitted by one or more reportees.

The ECA accounts for around two-thirds of European cocoa grindings. ECA grinding members are ADM Cocoa, a unit of Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM); Barry Callebaut AG (BARN.EB); Delfi Cocoa Europe, a division of Petra Foods Ltd. (P34.SG); ECOM/Dutch Cocoa; Gerkens Cacao, a unit of Cargill Inc; and Nederland.

Bean processors are Cioccolato Peyrano, Euromar, Ferrero SPA, Fuchs & Hoffmann, Hachez, Herza, Icam, Kessko, Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), Ludwig, Majani, Natra, Nestle SA (NESN.VX), Schokinag, Schwartauer Werke, Storck, Weinrich and Toms.

-By Michael Haddon, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9289; michael.haddon@dowjones.com

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