S.O.S. - Save Our Sweets!

If you're a chocolate lover, brace yourself for some terrifying news. The US Food and Drug Administration is considering a petition to change the "standard of identity" of chocolate sold in the US. Basically, chocolate manufacturers are lobbying for looser ingredient standards. They want to be able to use hydrogenated vegetable fats in place of cocoa butter, and milk substitutes in place of real milk, and still call their product "chocolate." The benefits for the manufacturers are cheaper ingredients and greater profits, while the benefits for consumers are...nonexistent. These changes will allow inferior chocolate-flavored products to freely label themselves as "real chocolate." It will also make it more difficult for quality chocolate manufacturers to remain competitive in the candy market. This could be the end of affordable, easily accessible chocolate as we know it.

Are you scared yet? Guittard, a small-scale American gourmet chocolate manufacturer, is leading the fight against this petition. Visit their website, Don't Mess With Our Chocolate, to read more about the proposed changes and find out how to voice your displeasure. You can even leave a comment for the FDA online. But hurry--we only have until June 25th to respond.