ALERT: THERE IS A CHOCOLATE CRISIS!

Just in time for Halloween......the news on chocolate is bitter.....

"Attention in Washington remains focused on the government shutdown.  But a far more important issue confronts America while the president and congressional leaders dither:  rising chocolate prices.  When will the government address this terrifying global crisis?"

Doug Bandow, FORBES Contributor

October 14, 2013

Okay, so here we are, smack-dab up against a major candy holiday and we are  just about to enter  8 weeks of non-stop holidaying and BOOM.....all of a sudden...a major chocolate shortage is in the news!   Well...more precisely--there's a cocoa shortage and it's threatening to drive the price of chocolate up by as much as 70%.   

Yes, you heard that right...SEVENTY effin percent??????

So, what are we to do?  Tell those little Trick-or-Treaters "sorry, cute little kid, the cost of chocolate is up 70% so no candy for you!"?

No chocolate turkeys and Christmas trees this year?

What about hot cocoa by the fire?

What about those chocolate chip cookies we leave for Santa?

A holiday season without chocolate?  

 

So, what the hell is going on here????

Okay, blog friends, I've done a little research on this issue and I've come up with some interesting findings:  

* It appears that part of the chocolate shortage is being blamed on folks eating healthier chocolate.  Thanks to an uptick in demand for dark chocolate as more health-conscious consumers seek out the commodity, chocolate prices are expected to soar! (they are also blaming weather...but doesn't everyone blame the weather for everything?) Ever since word got out that dark chocolate was a healthy treat, there has been a huge surge in people eating dark chocolate.  And, dark chocolate requires more cocoa to produce.  Damn, people must be eating a whole lot of dark chocolate. 

*Although there is the threat of higher chocolate costs, there is no concern that chocolate lovers will cut their chocolate spending.  To quote Pittsburgh's premier candy maker- Bill Sarris of Sarris Candies-- "Candy goes a long way to please a lot of people, so no matter what happens with prices, I think everyone will still be smiling when they eat chocolate."   Why does this not surprise me? 

*Candy makers have dealt with one chocolate crisis or another for years.  The threat of rising chocolate-making prices is nothing new to them.   Of course, their story spinners (marketing folks) go all out to get the word out via the media and make it into a big story!   Then, when they reduce the amount of cocoa they use or cut back on the size of their products so that they don't have to raise their prices--saying that they are committed to making chocolate an affordable treat--no one is complaining.  In fact, consumers are thanking them!  Hear this--your favorite chocolate indulgence is going nowhere...shortage or not!

All of a sudden.....I need a major chocolate fix.