We're Running Out of Chocolate

Terry Olaes

I Used to be the [H] News Guy
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
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Not tech news per se but very relevant to all of us in some form: two of the largest chocolate makers say that the cocoa supply is running out. A combo of pod fungus and dry weather is causing supply issues and deficits are becoming the norm. There's also a slight demand problem.

China's growing love for the stuff is of particular concern. The Chinese are buying more and more chocolate each year. Still, they only consume per capita about 5 percent of what the average Western European eats. There's also the rising popularity of dark chocolate, which contains a good deal more cocoa by volume than traditional chocolate bars (the average chocolate bar contains about 10 percent, while dark chocolate often contains upwards of 70 percent).
 
Oh screw this shit, the said the same thing a year or two ago of there being a bacon shortage looming, and sure enough bacon prices went up. They're doing this to influence the market!!!!

That said, if chocolate prices do rise, it would only benefit me as I can not say no to candy :D
 
I don't know what my son would do without his M&M's. He would lose it.
 
Time to reduce the population to restore the chocolate:human ratio.
 
Just another excuse for raising prices.

I do miss the 8oz Hershey bars (especially the special dark) I used to be able to buy years ago for 99 cents on sale. Now it's $2 for a 6oz bar on sale.

Guess it's time to stock up while M&M's are on sale for Christmas.
 
Time to reduce the population to restore the chocolate:human ratio.
You joke, but that is actually the only real solution. Stop the exponential population growth. Its the only way to maintain quality of life and balance with the ecosystem and limited resources. Indefinite growth, especially at this rate, is only possible if we start teraforming new planets fast.

Hell, if we went to India and saw that many deer huddled in masses reproducing at that rate, even PETA would agree that a spay/neuter program was in order at the very least.
 
There's almost no real chocolate in M&Ms or most cheap candy. This mostly applies to the real stuff, ie dark chocolate.
The dark chocolate M&Ms are 40% cocoa, but yeah a lot of the time its chocolate flavoring and sugar.
 
I agree but that wouldnt have made the best opening statement.
A little outside the scope :p
 
Just use less cocoa and add more anti-freeze for the stuff sold to China. They wouldn't even notice.
 
Oh screw this shit, the said the same thing a year or two ago of there being a bacon shortage looming, and sure enough bacon prices went up. They're doing this to influence the market!!!!
Yes, it's called supply and demand. This is how capitalism works. You raise the price and demand falls. Ultimately you try to reach the happy middle ground where the supply line equals demand. It's the invisible hand.

Y'all need to take a basic economics course.
 
There's almost no real chocolate in M&Ms or most cheap candy. This mostly applies to the real stuff, ie dark chocolate.

This applies to all chocolate, although dark chocolate would be slightly more effected as it takes slightly more beans to produce.

M&M's are real chocolate. The standard one's are milk chocolate, and they also make dark chocolate and even white chocolate versions.

Chocolate prices have already gone up the last couple years, and I've noticed more "chocolate flavored" candy like Easter bunnies this year.
"Chocolate flavored" is code for fake chocolate. It's made with oil and sugar with flavoring mixed in.

If prices keep going up, I assume we will see more fake stuff, and I'll probably lose a few pounds due to eating less chocolate :(
 
The good news is that we're never running out of things that we're running out of...
 
Just like the juice isle. "Contains no juice" appears on many a bottle.
 
Yes, it's called supply and demand. This is how capitalism works. You raise the price and demand falls. Ultimately you try to reach the happy middle ground where the supply line equals demand. It's the invisible hand.

Y'all need to take a basic economics course.
No it's called purposefully inducing panic. You say there's a shortage of something, then people buy up existing supply (speculators), this creates a real shortage, demand increases, and those who own can raise prices to match. If the same amount of a product is sold when there supposedly was a shortage, it's called a faux shortage.
 
Oh well, at least it's a luxury commodity that no one really needs anyway. I have faith that the market will recover in the long term.
 
Now, see, what I heard was that the ebola outbreak, which forced many countries to lock their borders, prevented the workers that typically pick the beans from entering the country. No workers, no crop.

Of course, associating your product with ebola is a surefire way to ensure no one buys your stuff, so yeah... pod disease or whatever is much better.
 
Media manipulation is a great way to create the illusion of exclusivity and increase your margins.

There's a shortage of something every month now. This is because news channels, papers, etc. don't waste time fact checking the stories that cross their desks.
 
I find it interesting how many people in this thread consider crap chocolate. I mean don't get me wrong, I freaking love Reeses cups but from a chocolate standpoint they are crap. Let's be honest, you aren't going to get fat eating stuff like http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/vosges-new-gourmet-super-dark-chocolate-gifts for a few good reasons;
1) They have significantly less sugar in them.
2) Cocao actually has health benefits.
3) They are expensive, and you aren't getting fat on chocolate this expensive..unless you want to go bankrupt. But then if the goal is to get fat then backs of cheap crap is far more efficient. :D

On that note if you haven't you really should try one of those. It will change your life.

Bacon is amazing
Coconut Ash is amazing
Chipotle chili is also an experience you shouldn't miss.
Just like Bacon makes everything better, Real chocolate does too.

I would say I eat 1-2 of these a year.
 
I find it interesting how many people in this thread consider crap chocolate. I mean don't get me wrong, I freaking love Reeses cups but from a chocolate standpoint they are crap. Let's be honest, you aren't going to get fat eating stuff like http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/vosges-new-gourmet-super-dark-chocolate-gifts for a few good reasons;
1) They have significantly less sugar in them.
2) Cocao actually has health benefits.
3) They are expensive, and you aren't getting fat on chocolate this expensive..unless you want to go bankrupt. But then if the goal is to get fat then backs of cheap crap is far more efficient. :D

On that note if you haven't you really should try one of those. It will change your life.

Bacon is amazing
Coconut Ash is amazing
Chipotle chili is also an experience you shouldn't miss.
Just like Bacon makes everything better, Real chocolate does too.

I would say I eat 1-2 of these a year.

1 - 2 bites, pieces, boxes, cases, tons? You forgot the metric by which you are going by.

The average person will go with cheap stuff as that is what they buy, even if stuff like you posted there is better.
 
Well the milk-chocolate with lots of sugar IMO actually tastes better anyway, even if it is diluted with little cocoa.

But speaking of diluting, the Chinese are lactose intolerant mostly, so they may be snorting the cocoa pure... might have an epidemic on our hands. Time to prep the nukes.
 
Oh screw this shit, the said the same thing a year or two ago of there being a bacon shortage looming, and sure enough bacon prices went up. They're doing this to influence the market!!!!

That said, if chocolate prices do rise, it would only benefit me as I can not say no to candy :D

Actually there is a pork shortage. There are massive pig farms in China that had to be shut down and tens of millions of pigs had to be discarded because of some disease due to the conditions they were being raised in. This caused the Chinese to buy hundreds of millions of pounds more pork from the US and Europe.
 
Actually there is a pork shortage. There are massive pig farms in China that had to be shut down and tens of millions of pigs had to be discarded because of some disease due to the conditions they were being raised in. This caused the Chinese to buy hundreds of millions of pounds more pork from the US and Europe.
Honestly, sweet and sour chicken and pork taste the same to me since they put so much sauce on it, so they shouldn't be so picky.
 
M&M's are real chocolate. The standard one's are milk chocolate, and they also make dark chocolate and even white chocolate versions.

woah, woah, stop the press - WHITE CHOCOLATE, you say? Where do I get white chocolate M&M's???:eek:
 
woah, woah, stop the press - WHITE CHOCOLATE, you say? Where do I get white chocolate M&M's???:eek:
Pfft, white chocolate isn't really even chocolate. It doesn't even have cocoa in it, at least not the stuff we call "chocolate" and instead just has the byproduct crap and lots of sugar.
 
I find it interesting how many people in this thread consider crap chocolate. I mean don't get me wrong, I freaking love Reeses cups but from a chocolate standpoint they are crap. Let's be honest, you aren't going to get fat eating stuff like http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/vosges-new-gourmet-super-dark-chocolate-gifts for a few good reasons;
1) They have significantly less sugar in them.
2) Cocao actually has health benefits.
3) They are expensive, and you aren't getting fat on chocolate this expensive..unless you want to go bankrupt. But then if the goal is to get fat then backs of cheap crap is far more efficient. :D
And on that note, there's a reason why people like MILK chocolate, because it has sugar, and cocoa butter, and all sorts of other stuff that tastes good. If I want health benefits I'll stop eating chocolate all together, and that probably would be the largest health benefit for me.

But hey if you want some bitter stuff to chew on, go ahead and eat those dark chocolates without much sugar in them.
 
Just another excuse for raising prices.

I do miss the 8oz Hershey bars (especially the special dark) I used to be able to buy years ago for 99 cents on sale. Now it's $2 for a 6oz bar on sale.

Guess it's time to stock up while M&M's are on sale for Christmas.

I remember 16oz bars for $1
 
I'd love for chocolate to disappear, just to witness the ensuing chaos.
 
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