Unfortunately, overindulging in chocolate can lead to weight gain, tooth decay and an increased risk of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. But could it be fatal? Sure — if you eat enough. (Click, HERE, for more info)
As the Birmingham-born chocolate brand loses its royal warrant, Katie Rosseinsky presents the case against this iconic British treat (click, HERE).
Chocolate firm Cadbury said on Monday it was “disappointed” after losing its royal warrant for the first time in 170 years following King Charles III’s first review of the coveted list since becoming monarch.
Dark chocolate consumption may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%, while milk chocolate does not show similar benefits, according to a Harvard study. A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that consuming dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate, may be linked to a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).
A new study finds people who have a habit of eating a little dark chocolate — about an ounce per day — have a 21% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, compared to people who don’t consume it.
Scientists have discovered a new way of making chocolate that uses the entire cocoa pod to reduce waste and improve farmer revenue streams. But can chocolate made any other way taste as sweet?
Drug testing on “Polka Dot” labeled chocolate bars seized back in September by narcotics detectives from the Sheriff’s department from a Chula Vista business found that the products had been adulterated with several controlled substances, including Amanita Muscaria mushrooms, better known as “magic mushrooms,” a strong psychedelic drug and hallucinogen.
Hope this doesn’t ruin your day, but Baker’s Chocolate wasn’t created for bakers, it’s chocolate originally produced in Dorchester, MA by John Hannon with his partner Dr. James Baker. Hannon sailed to the West Indies in 1779 and never came back, so Dr. Baker changed the name to the Baker Chocolate Company.
Mushroom Magic Blend Chocolate Bars contain illegal psychoactive drugs, putting consumers at risk of injury, illness, or death, the California Department of Public Health reports.
Eating chocolate in the morning can give you a quick energy and mood boost, burn fat and reduce blood sugar levels. Afternoons are a great time to indulge, especially when you need a pick-me-up to beat the post-lunch slump. For people who tend to live their best lives in the evening, unfortunately, chocolate cannot keep up with that lifestyle. Read more, HERE.
Chocolate lovers already feeling the sting of high prices should brace for worse: costs will continue to rise as global cocoa supplies are at their lowest level in two decades. But spare a thought for cocoa farmers in west Africa, battling poor weather, crippling crop diseases as well as local and international governments – all while missing out on their fair share of the price hike.
According to a recent survey from the National Confectioners Association (NCA), 94% will share chocolate and candy with friends and family, demonstrating the unparalleled consumer demand fueling remarkable retail trends like “Summerween” and “Aug-tober.”
Chocolate prices soared by 11% in the year to August in bad news for households ahead of Halloween, figures show.
A recent sampling assignment conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found 6.2 percent of dark chocolate and chocolate-containing products labeled as “dairy-free” to contain milk, although all samples positive for milk were also labeled with some form of milk allergen advisory statement (e.g., “made in a facility that also processes milk”).
It’s been a rough year for chocoholics. Spot prices for cocoa nearly tripled earlier this year, and consumers looking for a cocoa fix have had to cover those costs. But news from Switzerland, the mecca of chocolate offerings, could offer some hope.
Spain is known for a solid version of the treat, best enjoyed in the country’s Northwest. Specifically, the region of Castilla y León epitomizes the unique nature of Spanish chocolate, thanks to a history that’s as rich as any dark chocolate.
Mesoamerica is often considered the ‘homeland’ of chocolate due to its significance for many ancient cultures in this region, but the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, in fact originated in the tropical rainforests of South America. Until now, though, our understanding of the plant’s early use – and how and when it spread to other parts of the Americas – has been limited.
The true culprits behind blemishes are likely a complex interplay of factors like genetics, hormones, age and stress.
EATING chocolate could halve the risk of gum disease, researchers believe. Antioxidants from cocoa beans particularly in dark chocolate may be behind it, the experts reckon.
Holland America Line is partnering with Lindt to offer sweets to guests at various points during their cruise. Under the partnership, guests will find Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles or sea salt milk chocolate truffles in their stateroom after returning from their once-a-cruise Gala Night activities. Guests will also see Lindt chocolate desserts on their dinner menu, such as a tulip-shaped chocolate mousse cake. Other desserts, including Lindt sundae, Lindt flourless chocolate cake, and Lindt chocolate tulips will be available.
The leader of a scamming network that operated via false chocolate sales has been sentenced to a prison term and a fine by the Walloon Brabant Criminal Court. The group hired vehicles under false names, sought out elderly individuals and sold them chocolate. Disguised as scouts, they insisted on digital transactions only, declining cash payments and offering to assist the targeted senior citizens by entering their confidential PINs on their behalf. Once in possession of the necessary codes, the group would return a fake bank card, identical to the original. These cards had been stolen from the same bank during previous illegal operations. By the time victims realized their debit cards had been swapped, the culprits had already made withdrawals and purchases from their accounts.
Nestlé, which manufactures KitKat candy bars, has issued a stern warning for consumers who love chocolate. The food company, which manufactures popular brands such as KitKat, Toll House and Nesquik, claims that consumers have yet to feel the full impact of the global cocoa shortage, and that it will soon start to put a damper on their wallets as companies are facing higher costs to make goods that contain the ingredient.
In 2021, Godiva closed all of its cafes and stores in North America. What prompted the brand to shut down in-person visits in the U.S. all in one sweep? It turns out smaller restaurants weren’t the only ones to struggle during the pandemic. In March 2021, Godiva closed 128 stores due to a declining number of in-person shoppers and a shift in consumer buying habits caused in part by the rise of Covid-19 in 2020.
Chocolate lovers may have been alarmed by a 2023 Consumer Reports finding that some dark chocolate brands could contain harmful levels of lead and cadmium. However, a new study by Tulane University published in Food Research International has found that dark chocolate poses no adverse risk for adults and contains nutritionally beneficial levels of essential minerals.
Researchers at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with start-up Koa and chocolate manufacturer Felchlin, have developed a new type of chocolate that fully utilizes the cocoa fruit. This innovation aims to improve sustainability, nutritional value, and farmers’ income.
Hot chocolate — a treat some believe to be the bane of a clean diet — could actually help you lose weight, one expert claims. Steve Bennett, a health coach, told The Sun that one cup per day could actually help people shed pounds because it is packed with fiber, which satiates hunger. Read more, HERE.
Cacao farmers and chocolate makers in Thailand’s “capital in the north,” Chiang Mai, are giving European chocolatiers a run for their money.
Scientists have produced chocolate made solely with ingredients from a cocoa pod—using every component of the fruit, cutting not only waste, but also carbon.
Scientists might have found a way to make chocolate a bit healthier, a new study reports. Chocolate is made from the cocoa fruit by extracting cocoa mass and cocoa butter but there are actually many ingredients in the cocoa fruit that go unused.
Police have raided an Auckland dairy and found 50 blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate allegedly taken from a supermarket earlier that day and charged a man with receiving stolen goods.
In NYC, chocoholics are paying 20.66% above the rest of the country, according to a new report from consumer resource site CouponBirds.
Nutella maker Ferrero Group has opened its first chocolate processing facility in North America. The 70,000-square-foot facility is located at Ferrero’s manufacturing campus in Bloomington, Illinois, which produces chocolates for several brands including Kinder, Ferrero Rocher, Butterfinger, and CRUNCH, the company added.
Cookie baked in space is preserved and can be seen by Smithsonian visitors. DoubleTree by Hilton’s signature chocolate chip cookie became the first-ever food baked in space aboard the International Space Station in 2019.
Penn State food scientist Gregory Ziegler experiments with substituting rice flour and/or oat flour to reduce the sugar content of chocolate. Ziegler says this indicates that there’s probably more sugar than needed in commercial chocolates and also that oat flour is a feasible sugar replacement. “You can take a product that’s already got some good health benefits; it’s got this neutral fat, you can get rid of some of the sugar, maintain some sweetness, but then add this fiber component through the starches,” he explains.
Cocoa futures surged above an unprecedented $10,000 a metric ton on Tuesday, March 26th, before erasing gains and taking a breather from a historic rally that has seen prices of the key chocolate ingredient double this year. The market is being rattled by poor crops in key West African growers that has put the world on course for a third straight annual supply deficit. The industry is grappling with the legacy of poor returns paid to cocoa farmers and fears are mounting about being able to source enough beans.
Cocoa futures have surged this year, roughly doubling since the start of 2024. Rising temperatures and weather conditions have stressed and damaged crops in West Africa, which produces more than 70% of the global cocoa supply. Big chocolate companies like Hershey’s and Cadbury maker Mondelez have been passing those costs on to consumers — and then some: Hershey’s net profit margins ticked higher to 16.7% in 2023 from 15.8% in 2022. Mondelez reported a jump to 13.8% in 2023 from 8.6% in 2022.
Blommer Chocolate announced in a news release Friday that it would close its Chicago manufacturing plant and expand and transform other facilities. The Chicago facility, located at 600 W. Kinzie St., is the original manufacturing plant of the Blommer group, founded in 1939. The Chicago location opening in 1939 made Blommer the third largest industrial chocolate maker in the world.
According to Food & Wine, cocoa prices are at a 47-year high. What caused this? Inflation plays a part, but the bigger issue at hand is that cocoa cultivation in both Africa, specifically Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador has reportedly become much more complicated due to drier weather patterns and rainfall changes. In addition, there was a shortage of cocoa “due to that unfavorable weather coupled with crop disease and smuggling” in Ghana; the smuggling is thought to have accounted for approximately 600 million in lost revenue as per the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Chocolate is basically fermented beans. It’s made from cocoa which is a prebiotic fiber, a type of fiber your gut microbes love to digest and turn into useful molecules for your gut,” explained National Health Service general surgeon Dr. Karan Rajan.
Scientists are getting a better taste of the early history of the domestication and use of cacao—the source of chocolate—thanks to residues detected on a batch of ancient ceramics from South and Central America. Using evidence from these artifacts, the researchers traced the rapid spread of cacao through trade routes after its initial domestication more than five millennia ago in Ecuador. They showed cacao’s dispersal to South America’s northwestern Pacific coast and later into Central America until it eventually reached Mexico 1,500 years later.
“Finer foods” such as chocolate and olive oil are about to get a lot more expensive thanks to a supply squeeze of key ingredients due to adverse weather and geopolitical unrest, fanning concerns about sticky inflation. Wet weather in West Africa has rocketed cocoa prices to all-time highs, making chocolate more expensive just before Easter.
Mars has confirmed they have discontinued one of its popular Easter treats. The milk chocolate rose gold-colored eggs, filled with crunchy caramel pieces, were launched in 2019.
Construction in Barcelona revealed a medieval mansion unknown to archaeologists with remains of a chocolate factory still within it. A construction site in Spain last year accidentally uncovered the remains of a 14th century mansion that once housed a chocolate factory. The factory helped make renowned Clemente Guardia chocolates, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Chocolate chip ice cream, once a year-round staple, has fallen out of favor. Vanilla chocolate chip ice cream, once a staple of the ice cream world and one of the top sellers of all time, has fallen out of favor. The flavor can still be found, but it has been losing ground to flavors with more stuff, like cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough. Communications specialist for Babcock Dairy Plant, which has 75 years of ice-cream making under its belt, in Madison, Wis. said that chocolate chip hasn’t been a staple for a decade – “Now it’s seasonal.” Meaning, made for summer only.
Cocoa prices soared to all-time highs last week as deteriorating weather conditions and disease challenges hammered crop yields in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, home to 60% of the world’s production. Cocoa futures have surged nearly 40% since the start of the year to notch an intraday all-time high of $5,874 per metric ton Thursday. Prices of chocolates rose 11% in the past year, according to consumer intelligence database NielsenIQ, using data compiled through Jan. 27.
On the heels of legal weed and the growing fervor around microdosing, magic mushroom chocolates have made the leap from dry caps and dank truffles to luxe candy bars and bon bons.
