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Manufacturers warn that the world may soon run out of chocolate
theweek.com ^ | 11/17/2014 | Catherine Garcia

Posted on 11/17/2014 9:00:07 AM PST by Red Badger

Start hoarding those Hershey's Kisses and stockpile your Snickers: The world could soon experience a chocolate shortage.

Mars Inc. and Barry Callebaut, two of the world's largest chocolate makers, say that's the path we're headed down. They cite a perfect storm of factors: Less cocoa is being produced as more and more people are devouring chocolate.

In 2013, consumers ate about 70,000 metric tons more cocoa than was produced, The Washington Post reports, and that deficit could go up to 1 million metric tons by 2020. The Ivory Coast and Ghana produce more than 70 percent of the world's cacao beans, and both countries are experiencing dry weather that limits growth. To make things worse, a fungal disease called frosty pod has destroyed 30 to 40 percent of global cocoa production.

The world's appetite for chocolate isn't going away, and some countries, like China, are starting to consume more and more of the sweet treat. Dark chocolate is also rising in popularity, and that takes much more cocoa to create. Although researchers are trying to create trees that can produce more cacao beans than traditional trees, there's one catch: Chocolate made through this process loses its delicious taste. The only solution is to buy in bulk now and hide your stash where no one can find it. - - Catherine Garcia


TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Food
KEYWORDS: chocolate
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To: Red Badger
Shortage -> Price go up -> Demand go down and/or Production go up -> New balance.
Economy 101.
As log as the government doesn't try to price fix, subsidize or create stockpiles, this is a self correcting problem.

21 posted on 11/17/2014 9:13:49 AM PST by BitWielder1 (Corporate Profits are better than Government Waste)
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To: HiJinx

If might be BS now, but stocking up on cigarrettes and chocolate to barter in a financial crisis is an interesting thought.


22 posted on 11/17/2014 9:14:12 AM PST by lavaroise (A well regulated gun being necessary to the state, the rights of the militia shall not be infringed)
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To: Cowboy Bob

In 2013, consumers ate about 70,000 metric tons more cocoa than was produced.

Does this make sense? NO!!!


23 posted on 11/17/2014 9:14:24 AM PST by tallyhoe
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To: Dallas59

If the consumers ate 70,000 tons more than what was produced
and they expect it to be a million ton by 2020 then they must have one big surplus.

Looks like a big story that is not.


24 posted on 11/17/2014 9:14:29 AM PST by ravenwolf (` Does the scripture explain it in full detail? if not how can you?)
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To: Jonty30

Think you’re probably right on the money,Jonty30..........the old saying “follow the money” still applies.


25 posted on 11/17/2014 9:15:14 AM PST by oldtech
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To: Red Badger

This sounds like an opportunity for people in third world countries to make bank doing honest work. No problem seen here. More gummies given away for Halloween.


26 posted on 11/17/2014 9:17:35 AM PST by jimmygrace
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To: Red Badger

27 posted on 11/17/2014 9:17:39 AM PST by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: Red Badger

The total West African region supplies about 70% of the world’s cocoa and Côte d’Ivoire, which shares its western border with Liberia and Guinea, contributes almost 40%. While there have been some concerns that Ebola could reach Côte d’Ivoire, the rapid and strong reaction of its Government has kept the disease at bay so far, and the country has yet to register a single case. The main harvest for cocoa, which runs from October to March in Côte d’Ivoire, is currently well under way, and stakeholders are making all efforts to ship cocoa from the country as soon as it is available.

http://www.icco.org/home/latest-news.html


28 posted on 11/17/2014 9:20:33 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Red Badger

Rest easy, the level of Crap is rocketing!!


29 posted on 11/17/2014 9:20:53 AM PST by Scrambler Bob (/s /s /s /s /s, my replies are "liberally" sprinkled with them behind every word and letter.!)
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To: Red Badger

We can control the climate of the entire planet but we can’t make more chocolate?

That sucks.


30 posted on 11/17/2014 9:22:04 AM PST by SaxxonWoods (Life is good.)
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To: Cowboy Bob

In 2013, consumers ate about 70,000 metric tons more cocoa than was produced.
Does this make sense?

The difference is that they are counting recycled chocolate


31 posted on 11/17/2014 9:22:56 AM PST by Nailbiter
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To: Cowboy Bob

Apparently we ate the reserve stockpiles.....................


32 posted on 11/17/2014 9:24:01 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: Cowboy Bob; tallyhoe; Nailbiter; Jonty30

International stocks are estimated well over a million metric tons. Draw down of a few percentage points of the stockpile does not seem to be a stretch.

http://www.icco.org/about-us/icco-news/266-august-2014-quarterly-bulletin-of-cocoa-statistics.html


33 posted on 11/17/2014 9:24:02 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: chajin

I see what you did there.


34 posted on 11/17/2014 9:25:56 AM PST by Carpe Cerevisi
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To: Red Badger

If annual production deficits are going to keep rising until they reach a million metric tons in 2020, that must be one huge strategic chocolate reserve we have stashed away.


35 posted on 11/17/2014 9:26:22 AM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: thackney; Cowboy Bob

Now if someone said that there was dearth of M&M’s, I might see cause to panic.

My previous post was me amusing myself at the funny question posed by Cowboy Bob


36 posted on 11/17/2014 9:27:56 AM PST by Nailbiter
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To: 9YearLurker

37 posted on 11/17/2014 9:29:00 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: chajin

Who is that?....................


38 posted on 11/17/2014 9:29:59 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: Nailbiter

My first thought was to find a photo of “that wasn’t chocolate” like the “that wasn’t chicken” photo.


39 posted on 11/17/2014 9:30:44 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Red Badger

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!


40 posted on 11/17/2014 9:33:01 AM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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