Name: Candy companies subbing out real chocolate to beat cocoa prices
Uploaded: 2025-11-01T03:21:47.362Z
Duration: 2 min 41 s
Description: A new report from The New York Times explores why companies are substituting real chocolate with other ingredients due to climate change.

A new report from The New York Times explores why companies are substituting real chocolate with other ingredients due to climate change.

New York

Candy companies are increasingly substituting real chocolate with other ingredients in their products, according to a report discussed by climate writer Claire Brown. The change is attributed to a sharp rise in cocoa prices, which have increased fourfold since 2022, largely due to climate change affecting cocoa yields in West Africa.

Manufacturers are using alternatives such as vegetable fats and reducing the amount of chocolate in their products, sometimes adding more nuts or using thinner coatings. These adjustments are reflected in product labeling, with some candies no longer meeting the FDA's definition of 'milk chocolate.'

Candy companies subbing out real chocolate to beat cocoa prices

As you dig into your favorite candy bag, the chocolate bar this Halloween is a key ingredient and it may be missing the number one ingredient chocolate. A new report from the New York Times explores why companies are actually tweaking recipes, swapping real chocolate for other ingredients. Thanks to climate change. So joining us live now is reporter behind that article climate writer Claire Brown. What a day to do this story. Well, we're talking about chocolate. A lot of research has been spent on this. Looking into labels and the candy aisle. Got my candy right here, so I'm kind of curious which one is the chocolate and which ones not, but we can get into that later. But let's talk about chocolate candy. What exactly is missing in it? Yeah, so if you look closely at a candy bar, it many of them used to say milk chocolate on the front of the package, and milk chocolate is actually a term that's regulated by the FDA. There's all sorts of rules about what ingredients it has to contain. What I noticed had changed is that word milk chocolate had dropped off the front of a few chocolate candy bars. So Mr. Goodbar, Almond Joy, Rollo Caramels are no longer technically milk chocolate because they're swapping in some of those ingredients with other stuff. So there's some fine print there. OK, let's talk about the substitutes. What are the companies using to reduce the amount of chocolate? So one of the most common substitutes is to swap out a milk chocolate coating that's usually made with cocoa butter. They're swapping that out with vegetable fats. In other cases, they're just using a thinner coating or using say fewer chocolate chips. You've also see in a in a chocolate bar that has say peanuts in it. You might see more peanuts than you used to or more almonds than you used to, and less chocolate kind of holding it all together. Interesting, does it taste different? You know, I did not notice a difference. OK, alright, let's talk about what's happening to cocoa prices and how is climate change playing out? And how is climate change playing a role? Yeah, so so cocoa prices skyrocketed sometime last summer. I mean last winter, they they went about fourfold above where they were back in 2022. Climate change is playing a role by suppressing cocoa yields in West Africa. There's about six more weeks of excessive heat in the last 10 years. Then there there used to be. There also is some inconsistent rainfall that is making those plants produce fewer beans. Alright, so what's your advice to trick or treaters? Read the label or do you think they're even going to be conscious of that tonight? I highly doubt they're going to be reading the label tonight. Maybe mom and dad when they bring the candy bag back home. Alright Claire Brown, thank you so much from the New York Times. Appreciate the insight to. Chocolate or not chocolate.

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