Terry Olaes
I Used to be the [H] News Guy
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2006
- Messages
- 4,646
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).