Real Food Encyclopedia | Chocolate

What to look for when buying chocolate

There are many different types of chocolate, see the “Types of Chocolate” below for more information on the best kinds of chocolate for different uses.

As with most processed foods, pay close attention to the ingredients list. Are there a lot of added sugars, additives, gums, carrageenan, et cetera? If so, look for more simple alternatives.

Rather than looking for the right certification, look for companies with good practices, those who do “direct trade” and can tell you on their website who their farmers are. There are many certifications on chocolate that pruport to give farmers a living wage or to protect the environment, but experts say they often fall far short of their promises. As program director Anna Canning told us in an interview, “Instead of a certified bar from a company who’s also getting sued by formerly enslaved former child laborers, look to invest in the long-term — supporting companies working to build a different kind of supply chain and industry.”

Production

Because we mostly encounter it in cakes and candies, it’s easy to forget that chocolate is a fresh product that comes from a tropical plant. Cocoa trees grow best within 20 degrees of latitude from the equator and need a lot of rain — about four inches a month, so this limits their production to tropical areas. Nearly three quarters of the world’s chocolate is produced in the West African countries of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, with the rest coming from South America and Southeast Asia.

There are three main types of cacao: Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario.  Criollo beans, which are mainly grown around the Caribbean, produce a complex cocoa, with notes of fruit and spices. Criollo beans are generally reserved for fine chocolate making. Forastero beans have a more intense, heavy chocolate flavor, and  account for the majority of the cacao produced today. The third kind, Trinitario, is a cross between the other two varieties.

Chocolate pods grow year round but are harvested typically twice a year, with the timing depending on where they’re grown. After harvesting, cacao beans are removed from their pods and fermented for several days to develop flavor. The fermented beans are then dried in the sun and shipped to factories where they are roasted and ground into a liquid mix called chocolate liquor. That liquor — which isn’t alcoholic — contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Cocoa solids give the rich chocolate flavor, while cocoa butter imparts a smooth and creamy texture.

Types of Chocolate

As Bon Appetit explains, different kinds of chocolate products have different proportions of cocoa solids and cocoa butter, along with other mix-ins.

• Cocoa powder – cocoa powder is made entirely from cocoa solids after the cocoa butter is removed. Cocoa powder can be used in baked goods and drinks to impart a strong chocolate flavor without the fat that comes with the cocoa butter. 
• White chocolate – white chocolate contains no cocoa solids, only cocoa butter, sugar and dairy, giving it a light and creamy taste with no traditional chocolate flavor.
• Milk Chocolate – milk chocolate contains at least 10% chocolate liquor, with an additional 12% dairy for added creaminess. Sugar, vanilla and other flavorings help milk chocolate balance between sweet, light flavors and a more intense chocolate taste. 
• Dark chocolate – dark chocolate contains the highest percentage — at least 35% — of cocoa solids and butter, with some added sugar. Dairy may be added to dark chocolates, but in minimal amounts to preserve the intensity of chocolate flavor. 

In addition to dairy, sugar and flavorings, some chocolates may contain other ingredients like soy lecithin or palm oil to help them maintain an even texture or to prevent them from melting.

Labor Issues

There are serious social and economic justice concerns with chocolate production. Consumers in the U.S. and Europe expect cheap chocolate, which means that the farmers who grow cocoa beans get paid very little. As a result, many cacao farmers in West Africa rely on unpaid child labor. Sometimes these children are members of the farmers’ families who cannot afford school fees, but sometimes the children are victims of human trafficking from neighboring countries.

Voluntary third-party certification is another route companies take to try and address the ongoing labor issues with chocolate, but none of the labeling schemes are perfect. Fairtrade provides a price premium for local coops in exchange for good practices, and Rainforest Alliance (which merged with UTZ to become the largest certifier in 2018) also conducts audits to certify chocolate farms audits aren’t displacing forests or using child labor. However, even these third-party certifications aren’t always accurate; the Washington Post reported that Rainforest Alliance-certified chocolate was actually more likely to come from farms that used child labor than chocolate without certification.