The Chocolate Dilemma: 4X more resources from dark than milk cocoa

The world loves chocolate. While some tout its health benefits, the scientific community has come to other conclusions. Nonetheless, 20% of Americans eat chocolate daily through chocolate bars, cooking & ice cream. Today lets explore what this widespread consumption costs us and learn a few chocolate facts along the way.

In today’s issue:

• Health: The sweet truth

• History: Native to the Americas but mass-produced in Africa

• Feature Story: What is chocolate costing us?

• Early Adopters: The dark chocolate dilemma

HEALTH

The sweet truth

Commonly thought of as an indulgent treat, certain types of chocolate offer notable health benefits, though not as much as some might hope. These benefits stem from polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that protect cells against various cancers. The concentration of polyphenols varies depending on the type of chocolate, as its directly linked to the cocoa content.

Dark chocolate is the richest source of polyphenols, delivering 600 mg per 100 g—more than any other food. For comparison, blueberries offer 560 mg and hazelnuts 500 mg of polyphenols per 100 g.

At the same time chocolate’s potential role in preventing common diseases remains under-researched. However emerging studies suggest promising health effects, particularly for dark chocolate:

1. Diabetes: 18% lower risk¹

2. Stroke: 16% lower risk²

3. Heart Disease: 10% lower risk³

4. High LDL Cholesterol: 4% lower risk⁴

5. High Triglycerides: 3% lower risk⁵

6. High Blood Pressure: 2% lower risk⁶

Incorporating dark chocolate into your diet a few times a week can benefit your health beyond satisfying your sweet tooth. Unlike milk and white chocolates, dark chocolate’s high cocoa content makes it a nutritional unicorn. Just remember, the darker the chocolate, the greater reward for your health.

HISTORY

Native to the Americas but mass-produced in Africa

The story of chocolate begins around 400 AD when the Mayan & Aztec civilizations, living in modern day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras & El Salvador, first cultivated and consumed cocoa. Originally a luxurious drink known as xocoatl, it symbolized fertility, wisdom & power. The Mayans and Aztecs often combined cocoa with chili peppers and cornmeal to create their prized beverage.

In 1492, Spanish colonizers brought cocoa back to Europe, but it didn’t gain widespread popularity until 1528 when it was sweetened with sugar and spiced with vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. For the next 300 years, chocolate remained primarily a drink until technological advancements transformed it into the familiar forms we know today.

1. In 1828, the cocoa press was invented to extract cocoa butter from cocoa beans. The Dutch company credited with this patent, was acquired by Hershey in 1964.

2. By 1847, a conching machine was developed to turn cocoa butter into a moldable paste, paving the way for the modern chocolate bar. The British company credited with this invention, was acquired by Cadbury in 1919.

As chocolate production evolved, so did the regions where cacao was grown. In 1822, Portuguese colonists introduced the cacao tree, native to the Americas, to São Tomé and Príncipe, the tropical island off the western coast of Africa. From there:

1. The cacao tree spread to Bioko Island in the 1850s

2. Cacao plants were introduced to neighboring

   1. Ghana by a local farmer in 1879

   2. Nigeria by the British in 1880

   3. Ivory Coast by the French in 1880

   4. Cameroon by the Germans in 1905

Once harvested, cacao undergoes processing to become the chocolate we enjoy. The US processes 25% of the global chocolate market, transforming raw cacao into products for companies like Hershey & Mars. The US alone consumers 20% of the world’s chocolate, making it a significant market in the industry.

FEATURE STORY

What is chocolate costing us?

The ideal conditions for growing cacao trees are found 15 degrees above and below the equator. This region receives an even distribution of rainfall, 60 - 100 in. annually, and supports the delicate growing needs of cacao trees. However, the process of producing chocolate, especially as climate conditions change, raises significant concerns. Since the 1970s, the ideal growing conditions for cacao has shrunk from 30 degrees above and below the equator to just 15 degrees in a little over 50 years.

What resources are needed to grow cocoa?

To produce just 1 lb. of dark chocolate with 70% cacao, you need about 400 cacao beans or 2.5 lb. of cacao pods. While this may not seem like much, cacao trees are water-intensive crops, grown in a limited region that requires international transport.

As the climate gets more volatile, more and more irrigation will be required for many farmers whose land no longer has the ideal conditions for cacao. Additionally, when landowners replace forests with cacao farms, stored carbon is released into the atmosphere. This in turn requires more resources to sustain current cacao production, which is expected to grow 6.5% annually from 2023 to 2030.

The top 3 cacao-producing countries, which account for 75% of the global cacao market, have significantly contributed to deforestation between 2000 to 2020.

How is cacao different than the cash crops in the US?

Unlike crops like corn and soy in the US, cacao has not received similar subsidies to support growers and stabilize prices. This allows international chocolate companies to source cacao at the most competitive price, often well below what farmers need to break even.

Many cacao farms, particularly in West Africa, are small operations. This introduces further competition in getting cacao to market, compared to more industrialized crops that benefit from economies of scale. This systemic problem continues to persist, leaving farmers to seek increasingly detrimental solutions. From deforesting national forests to create larger farms or using forced child labor to reduce operating expenses; producers are increasingly desperate to provide the world with chocolate.

EARLY ADOPTERS

It’s understandable that early adopters face a dilemma when it comes to chocolate. On one hand, dark chocolate has more cacao with more cancer fighting polyphenols. On the other hand, indulging in dark chocolate requires significantly more resources—requiring 4X more water, land and emissions compared to milk chocolate when considering just the cacao resources.

One strategy early adopters are exploring is limiting their chocolate intake to special occasions. This might look like:

1. Pairing chocolate with wine

2. Incorporating chocolate into granola

3. Handing out sweets instead of chocolates on Halloween

4. Saving chocolate for holiday cookies

This approach allows you to enjoy the rich, melt-in-your-mouth experience that ancient civilizations discovered without constantly consuming a resource-intensive commodity. When you do indulge, you may choose to buy Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance-certified chocolate, which supports ethical producers in an industry where transparency is often lacking.

For those who feel the environmental costs are still too high, there is a growing market for a chocolate alternative, Carob. While it doesn’t come with the same health benefits or flavor of cacao, it’s far more resource-efficient. The carob tree is drought-tolerant allowing it to grow in areas like the Mediterranean & the Middle East. Carob trees are also known for being resistant to pests and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides and fertilizers. They have deep root systems that sequester carbon and can thrive in poor, rocky soils not suitable for other crops.

Compared to a standard 70% cacao dark chocolate bar, a typical carob bar requires:

1. 13X less water

2. 188X less land

3. 49X less emissions

By switching to carob or reducing chocolate consumption overall, early adopters can still satisfy their sweet tooth.

TIGHT 5

• Consumption: US consumption of chocolate per capita is 9 lb. per year.

• Deforestation: 80% of forests in Ivory Coast have been lost from cacao farming since 1960.

• Teeth: dark chocolate strengthens your teeth’s enamel³ .

• Cacao Farmers: commonly earn less than 10% of the retail price of chocolate.

• Caffeine: 100 g of dark chocolate has 23% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Thanks for tuning in to learn about small changes that make a big difference. That being said, consider professional advice (not me) when changing your lifestyle.