A Cause for Chocolate

I'm letting my politics come through today. There are a few things that we should really stand behind. Against global warming, for saving the dolphins, and definitely for keeping chocolate real. This may sound silly, but it's for your own health.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a chocolate standard of identity requiring manufacturers to use approved ingredients in making chocolate, and it protects the consumer from any substitution of inferior ingredients. This means that in order for a product to be called chocolate, it must use cocoa butter and real milk. But the change on the docket would make it OK to use vegetable fats and whey to replace these ingredients, making chocolate cheaper to manufacture, but sacrificing the standards we know and love as chocolate. These vegetable oils would contain high amounts of trans fats, not something we need to add to our list of indulgences when eating chocolate!

So, I heartily urge you to take some time out of your busy day and fill out the petition at the Don't Mess With Our Chocolate website. It looks more complicated than it is. They give you the copy to cut and paste into the comments section and they don't collect your e-mail address.

Thanks for your support. Chocolate lovers unite!