Chocolate News
Happy World Chocolate Day! July 7, 2023
Bill introduced to keep chocolate milk in schools
Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican from Wisconsin, introduced legislation to stop the White House from excluding flavored milk in schools. The MILK Act, which stands for “Milk is Indisputably Liked by Kids,” proposes amending the National School Lunch Act to require schools to offer flavored milk in their lunch programs. “The Biden administration wants to exclude chocolate milk from being offered at schools across America. We believe that milk should be offered, including chocolate milk,” Rep. Tiffany said. “In fact, I think it’s a great tradition. I remember back when I was in school—every Friday, we had chocolate milk.”
Chocolate is set to get more expensive as cocoa prices soar to seven-year highs
Chocolate prices have risen by 14% in the past year, according to consumer intelligence database NielsenIQ. Sugar, another principal ingredient of chocolate, is also seeing price spikes — breaching an 11-year high in April. Among the different varieties of chocolate, prices of dark will reportedly be the hardest hit.
El Niño Could Make Chocolate More Expensive
Production of cocoa beans in West Africa — the largest growing region — may fall in the next season by as much as 8% on adverse weather, according to Fuad Mohammed Abubakar, head of Ghana Cocoa Marketing Company. Cocoa prices already surged to the highest in seven years this season following a disappointing harvest in top exporter Ivory Coast that worsened the global deficit.