Your favourite candy bar might be sans chocolate

As cocoa prices soar, companies are changing candy recipes in subtle ways

- CLAIRE BROWN

ALMOST NO ONE noticed when, sometime over the last few years, the packaging on Almond Joy, Mr Goodbar and Rolo was updated to remove the words “milk chocolate.” The edits were easy to miss: The description on the front of the Mr Goodbar wrapper changed from “milk chocolate with peanuts” to “chocolate candy with peanuts.’ Almond Joy is now marketed as a “coconut and almond chocolate candy bar.” Rolos are now wrapped in “rich chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate.”

I realised this earlier this year after eating a disappointing chocolate bar. It wasn’t spoiled, it just didn’t taste like I remembered. As a reporter who covers the climate, I’d read about global warming contributing to drought in West Africa and sending cocoa prices through the roof, and I knew candy companies had raised prices and shrunk portions. But could it be that they were also tinkering with the makeup of the candyitself?