 |
|
Amuse
Blogs
Food
Life
Links
News
Pictures
Rants
Site
Tech
Words
The E. Guittard Chocolate company is one of the premier manufacturers of chocolate in the United States, with products that compare to such famous chocolate makers as Callebaut and Valrhona.
Now they're trying to organize opposition to a pending FDA rule change that would let American chocolate makers substitute vegetable oil for cocoa butter and "milk substitutes" in place of real milk in their production of milk chocolate. Some confectioners already use these substitutes, but can't call their products real chocolate; they have to call their products "chocolate-flavored" or "chocolatey". I guarantee that if you indulged recently in some Easter candy, you ate some of this inferior stuff.
As it is, the American standard for chocolate is already significantly less stringent than the EU standard, which accounts for the general superiority of European chocolates. In bowing to pressure from chocolate manufacturers other than Guittard, the FDA is giving license to the production of a truly terrible product and encouraging the downgrading of all chocolate -- the big commercial makers will quickly switch over to these formulas because of the cost savings.
Capitalism, my friends, eventually ruins everything in the name of profit. But perhaps we can forestall this very unfortunate action before it ruins the Best Thing On Earth.
© BrianKaneOnline.com 2000-2007