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.
Candy bars have been in existence for a long time—easily more than 150 years! Although certain candy bars come and go, some popular varieties have surprisingly been around since the early days. Here are 24 of the oldest candy bars still available.
One US website has officially found a way to offend all Kiwis at once – claiming Whittaker’s is one of the worst chocolate brands worldwide. Tasting Table officially ranked 25 popular chocolate brands with Whittakers placing 24th, somehow slipping lower than the likes of Lindt, Kinder and Toblerone. (“The only reason Whittaker’s landed lower on the list is due to the shipping price for consumers outside of Australia or New Zealand,” the website states.)
A new study has found that eating dark chocolate can reduce the risk of essential hypertension.
The case is seeking damages for anyone in Florida who’s bought items including Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins, peanut butter bats, peanut butter footballs, and a Christmas assortment of peanut butter snowmen, stockings, and bells.
Check the chocolate for signs of spoiling, but it’s probably just fine. Click, HERE, for more info.
An exhibit detailing the rich history of Jews and chocolate in this country, “Sweet Treat: Chocolate and the Making of American Jews,” is on view at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue, where Deborah Prinz, author of the book, “On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao,” began her career as the Reform congregation’s first female rabbi.
Chocolate prices have already surged 17% in the U.S. over the past 2 years as commodity costs from cocoa to sugar jumped, according a consumer researcher.
Dogs and cats love food, but they are not supposed to have certain foods such as coffee, chives, onions, grapes, and garlic. But one very dangerous food for both dogs and cats is something many humans love: chocolate. When it comes to chocolate, it is toxic for both dogs and cats. This is because chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which is used medicinally as a blood vessel dilator, heart stimulant, and for other purposes. To learn more, click HERE.
Chocolate is just not a big source of either lead or cadmium in diets! The news that chocolate contained lead and cadmium made waves last year. But, a closer look at the data—as well as reactions from actual medical toxicologists—indicates that the risk of heavy metals in chocolate is actually pretty low. CR used a very conservative threshold for determining “high” levels of the metals, which are not backed by major regulatory and health agencies, including the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration. While pressuring chocolate companies to do more to keep contaminants out of our treats is a reasonable goal, this is not something anyone needs to fret about. For more details, click HERE.
Oscar winner shares photo of sculpture, modelled on his Gladiator strongman Maximus, made for chocolate festival in Malta. (click HERE)
Oct 17, 2023 – Prices for cocoa, the main ingredient used to make chocolate, rose to the highest ever on Tuesday as demand for the beans appears to be holding well despite the constant increase in costs, experts said. Financial investors were said to be the main driver of prices on the Intercontinental Exchange in London, where the March cocoa contract hit a peak of 3,155 pounds per metric ton, the highest price since cocoa futures started trading there in 1920. The March contract last traded 1% up at 3,140 pounds/ton.
Mars Inc have announced the Galaxy bar will be the latest sweet treat to shrink, going from 110g to 100g per chocolate bar.
