Companies Propose Changes in Chocolate Standards

Chocolate is a favorite confection for millions of people across the globe and Americans are no exception. The U.S. might be in for a chocolate change, however, if Hershey and other large chocolate manufacturers have their way.

Time is running out for chocolate. Chocolate manufacturers such as the Hershey Company are urging the FDA to change industry standards for chocolate. The Grocery Manufacturers Association proposed the changes. The proposal requests that companies be allowed to use cheaper ingredients such as vegetable oil to replace cocoa butter in chocolate and still be allowed to label the product chocolate.

Guittard Chocolate Company along with other chocolate manufacturers are against the proposed changes and are urging consumers to contact the FDA. to voice their opinion. The Guittard company has set up a website "dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com"

On the website they state:

"Their plan is to change the basic formula of chocolate in order to use vegetable fat substitutes in place of cocoa butter, and to use milk substitutes in the place of nutritionally superior milk."

The plan to substitute ingredients would very likely change the texture, if not the taste of chocolate. Guittard is also concerned that labeling will confuse some consumers and that consumers will, in essence, be cheated. Consumers expect that when they are buying chocolate they are getting the real thing--complete with all the ingredients that make chocolate delicious.

"In fact, the plan to substitute these types of vegetable fats for cocoa butter would cause a disastrous economic impact on their livelihoods as the demand for cocoa butter would likely decrease and prices would plummet as some manufacturers switch to the cheaper substitutes." Guittard Press release, April 10, 2007 prnewswire.

The proposal to change American chocolate standards has received worldwide press. Chocolate lovers everywhere are disappointed at the proposed changes. Chocolate, unlike other candies, has a special, almost mystical, status in our civilization.

A brief history of the origins of chocolate:

Chocolate is made with Cacao beans which come from cacao trees, which thrive in tropical rainforests. According to John Weatherford's history of chocolate, cacao has been probably cultivated for about 3000 years. The first cacao connoisseurs lived in South America and Central America where it was consumed as a beverage by native people of the regions, including the Aztecs and the Mayans.

Chocolate lovers still have time to approach the FDA with thoughts and feelings on the proposed changes. Time is about to run out, however.

The deadline for consumer action is April 25

Sources: prnewswire.com, dontmesswithchocolate.com, The History Of Chocolate--xocoatl.org/history.htm