I first read about this in the Sept 2007 issue of Smithsonian Magazine. The article was about a device called a molinillo, which is basically a fancy stick used to stir chocolate drinks. Anyways, the article talks a little bit about the history of chocolate and how the world’s changing and people buy chocolate in stores now all over the world but some people still process their own cocoa beans and make their own chocolate etc etc. Lots of things are changing in the same manner I guess. But how much can chocolate actually change? It turns out, it might change into something that isn’t even chocolate. More after the break! What an awesome teaser btw.

Well, the article goes on to quote a guy named Mort Rosenblum, author of the book Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light, which I have not read. He is quoted, from a NYT article, as saying that the FDA is being petitioned “to replace cocoa butter with cheaper fats and still call the resulting product ‘chocolate.’” Since cocoa beans grow in climates similar to coffee beans are they trying to avoid similar fair trade issues? Probably.

So this may not be new news to people who read Candyblog or Slashdot [which reported this when it was actually new news in April], but basically an array of industry groups are pushing for what amounts to the FDA’s [Godfather’s?] blessing to allow them to label as ‘chocolate’ something that doesn’t contain cocoa butter, which is a large portion of the ‘chocolate’ in chocolate, and replace it with high fructose corn syrup. Kidding! It will be replaced with other vegetable oils, which can cost something like 1/3 as much. Given this money saving opportunity, I’m sure that they will do something nice with the profits like pass it on to consumers or at the very least, stop moving production facilities out of the US. Actually I’m kidding, they won’t.

From what I have read so far [most of the relevant top 20 google search hits on the subject, terms: ‘fda’ ‘chocolate’], this hasn’t happened yet, but I’m sure that consumer outrage won’t really do anything despite the best efforts of Wonkette and their resident anonymous ask a lobbyist. This is already happening right now kind of, but product labels have to use words like ‘chocolatey’ or ‘chocolate-flavored’ or ‘chocolate-like’ but the idea is that they won’t have to if the FDA says it’s ok.

If you don’t think this sounds like a big deal, think about this: after this proposed change, the mandatory 10% chocolate liquor will be the only cocoa derived ingredient in your ‘chocolate’.

A more adult version of my article can be found here. I didn’t write it and I don’t endorse the title of the blog either.