Not cool- running out of chocolate!

[Abby Normal]

Not cool. Not cool.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/chocolate-giant-earth-is-running-out-of-chocolate/ar-BBdUsYL

There's no easy way to say this: You're eating too much chocolate, all of you. And it's getting so out of hand that the world could be headed towards a potentially disastrous (if you love chocolate) scenario if it doesn't stop.

Those are Mars, Inc. and Barry Callebaut's words, very roughly speaking. And there's a bit of data to back them up.

Chocolate deficits, whereby farmers produce less cocoa than the world eats, are becoming the norm. Already, we are in the midst of what could be the longest streak of consecutive chocolate deficits in more than 50 years. It also looks like deficits aren't just carrying over from year-to-year—the industry expects them to grow. Last year, the world ate roughly 70,000 metric tons more cocoa than it produced. By 2020, the two chocolate-makers warn that that number could swell to 1 million metric tons, a more than 14-fold increase; by 2030, they think the deficit could reach 2 million metric tons.

[mollyanna58]

How can the world consume more than it grows?  Are we eating old chocolate? 

[Deleted]

It got a fungus or such

[Bonny]

OMG! This is a crisis worse than Global Warming!

[Deleted]

It was not too long ago that the hazlenut shortage was reported on.  Between that and chocolate, you might want to start hoarding Nutella. 

[Deleted]

Just when you thought you knew all the consequences of the Ebola pandemic, here’s another one: it could affect the supply of chocolate.  Of course that doesn’t rise to the seriousness of illness and death, but it does show how much Ebola affects trade and production.

An estimated 70% of the world’s cocoa beans come from the West African countries of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Ivory Coast is the world’s largest producer, exporting 37.8% of the world’s cocoa, according to the Wall Street Journal. (In fact, Ivory Coast just posted a record harvest and the government increased its minimum price to farmers.)

touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81582061/

[NancysSummerSip]

Part of the problem, along with the fact that consumption is increasing in newly-rich countries like China, is that cacao is a very labor-intensive, delicate crop to grow. It takes humans, not machines, to grow cacao. Weather matters, and global warming isn't helping. Ebola outbreaks in those countries producing the majority of cacao is a problem; workers from ebola-free nations, who would normally migrate to these areas to work and harvest cacao, are afraid to go. Cacao will only grow within a very small area around the Equator; you cannot make it grow artificially anywhere else. Having a good harvest is one thing, but not worth much if workers are afraid to come to your country.

Fair-trade practices (paying a decent and living wage to growers and workers) have been slower to get to cacao producers than to the coffee and tea trade, but it's getting there. I think raising the price may scare the consumer a bit, but in the long run, it will help the agricultural end of the business get better.

So yes, we are running on a deficit, particularly of the high-quality stuff. As for the junk used by the big confectioners: well, there will always be enough of that, with more milk product and sugar added to stretch it farther. That's the real shame of this issue: the best stuff will be harder to find and cost more; I recently paid $25.00 for a bar of Bonnat from France (this does include an import tax) while the crap is still around and will still cost more.

[sesfw]

No, No, No ..........

I have chocolate in my veins ..... and it's a genetic trait.  All of my ascendants and descendants ........... all of us.

Dark chocolate is all I eat .... maybe one piece of Dove every couple of days.  Zero sodium.

Guess we'll have a new line item in our budget instead of buried in the groceries.

[milee]

Nov 17, 2014 11:01:56 GMT -5 Bonny said:

OMG! This is a crisis worse than Global Warming!

It's important to find the positive parts of any crisis. There's always some sort of balance.  In SW Florida, we have a lot of water, but a large portion of it is too shallow to boat safely in.  Global warming is going to kind of suck for those of us on the coast since our houses will be flooded, but if you look at the bright side - the boating will be much, much better.

Same thing with this chocolate issue.  Maybe global warming will mean that we can grow cacao a lot further north of the equator now.  That would be awesome!

So to reiterate - global warming may cause some problems because our houses will be under water, but maybe we won't care too much because we'll be able to enjoy boating more and chocolate will be cheap. 

[Artemis Windsong]

[NastyWoman]

===> toddling off to buy a missile bunker or two, clean them out real good, and stock them with life's bare necessities (aka very good quality dark chocolate) <===

AAAAAHHHHHHHH... now for a little break  

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

milee: 


This is depressing news, but as long as buttery Chardonnay is in sufficient supply, I think you'll all still be safe.  

From me.  

[Bob Ross]

This sounds like a woman problem because men don't give a f*ck about chocolate.

Then again, I'm sure women will make men suffer for it because that's what you do. 

Here's an idea.  Switch to carob.

[NancysSummerSip]

Nov 18, 2014 12:47:21 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

This sounds like a woman problem because men don't give a f*ck about chocolate.

Then again, I'm sure women will make men suffer for it because that's what you do. 

Here's an idea.  Switch to carob.

It's gross. Better idea: switch to Bob Ross.

[Deleted]

Say it's not so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's one big hoax!

[wyouser]

Quick, check the fine print on the ACA .....see if it included any reference to "affordable chocolate" in the act. I swear I heard some reference saying "if you like your Hershy's Kisses You can keep your Hershey's Kisses" .....and wasn't the act supposed to bring down the cost of chocolate?