Definition of Chocolate Targeted

[sarongsong]

Huh?
The Issue
...some members of the U.S. Chocolate Industry are supporting a change in the basic formula of chocolate, by allowing the use of vegetable fat substitutes in place of cocoa butter...the Chocolate Industry must obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make any changes to the standard of identity for chocolate...While the FDA has heard from the chocolate industry, they encourage consumers to weigh in as well...THE FDA CONSUMER COMMENT PERIOD HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE 25TH...
DontMessWithOurChocolate (http://dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com/)

[Gillianren]

The current FDA guidelines for ingredients that may be used on a product labelled "chocolate" instead of "chocolate-flavoured" are pretty strict. (Not, of course, as strict as they are in some other countries, but stricter than a lot of "chocolatey" products want them to be.) As it stands, in order to be labelled "chocolate" in the US, cocoa butter must be used (and I'm pretty sure there's a specific percentage of the product that has to be cocoa butter, too, though I don't remember it).

Clearly, the FDA is considering bowing to corporate pressure in this, just as they have in permitting the supplements industry to remain so unregulated, which is also a mistake on their part.

[Pinemarten]

They may be getting ready for the supply crunch:

I seem to remember a campaign to boycott chocolate, or create 'free trade' chocolate like coffee.
Something about the bean pickers being abused.
Anyone else heard of this?

[NEOWatcher]

They may be getting ready for the supply crunch:

I seem to remember a campaign to boycott chocolate, or create 'free trade' chocolate like coffee.
Something about the bean pickers being abused.
Anyone else heard of this?
I seriously doubt this. I think it is going to be a matter of marketing.

With all the hype now about trans-fat and related stuff, there is probably some formulation that they want to call low-fat, trans-fat free or something, but can't call it chocolate.

Also; of bottom line as explained here (http://dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com/images/proposedchange.jpg).

[Pinemarten]

So 25.27% is cocoa butter, and they want to change to 25.27% vegetable fat. This is the only change and the veg fat is cheaper; $2.30 vs .70 per pound. The main ingredient is sugar at 52.38%. The other ingredients are small and/or inexpensive.

Sounds like it will become much cheaper. If taste tests work out okay, it looks like the consumer will benefit most.

[Gillianren]

But it won't taste like chocolate. And I don't think they'll drop the price to reflect the changes, either.

[Fazor]

That's the whole point. No one (well, not that *I* know anyway) complaines about the price of chocolate being too high. By lowering production cost but keeping the sell price the same, that's increased profit. What company doesn't want that?

I don't know how much it will or won't taste like chocolate. I'm not a huge chocolate fan either way. I prefer death by salty fried things, or good 'ol fashioned beef (or both!)

[Parrothead]

I can't see any chocolate manufacturer willingly substituting all cocoa butter with vegetable fat. Other than the matter of taste, cocoa butter is needed, especially when tempering chocolate. When you temper chocolate (couvature) you work the chocolate in a certain temperature range, it is this process that gives chocolate its sheen and snap, when it cools. It cannot be accomplished, if there is no cocoa butter in the formula.

Here is a link (.pdf) to the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association on the issue:

http://chocolateusa.org/pdfs/Q-and-A-CMA-Standards-Questions.pdf

To my knowledge, each type of chocolate already has a required min. % cocoa butter content. eg: Sweet Dark Chocolate should contain minimum 20 percent total cocoa butter. Milk Chocolate: at least 15% milk solids, 3-4% of which should be milk fat. Total fat content minimum 25% and maximum sugar content 50%. Unsweetened chocolate: cocoa butter content should be at least 50%. Source is the baking theory manual used in the baking and pastry arts course, I took.

[Peter Wilson]

If the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association says it "cannot be accomplished," then why are they trying to change the law to allow it :confused:

[novaderrik]

when i saw the title of this thread, for some reason, i thought it had something to do with the demographic makeup of the post-Katrina New Orleans..

[Parrothead]

My take on it, it looks to be some sort of overhaul of a bunch of regulations and it has been pointed out, a chocolate manufacturer could conceivably make such a change. It doesn't mean they have to, or will, change.

[Gillianren]

My boyfriend has a perverse fixation with the dollar store. They sell things that legally cannot be called chocolate; I suspect they will under the theoretical new legislation. And they're foul.