Your favorite chocolate bar might cost a fortune this year since there's a serious global cocoa shortage, but there's good news! Say hello to cloned cocoa, the sustainable and ethical fix to your chocolate cost woes. Here's why you'll be munching on lab-grown goodies sooner than you think.
Shrinkflation Hitting Your Chocolate Habit?
Remember those tiny Toblerones last year that left you feeling ripped off? The chocolatier had to shrink their bar due to ever-increasing cocoa costs. Yeah, get ready for more of that. Climate change and shrinking cocoa harvests are pushing prices sky-high, so your chocolate snack may get a micro-makeover.
Lab-Grown Cocoa To The Rescue!
California Cultured, a US food startup, has inked a deal with Meiji, Japan's largest chocolatier, to make cocoa farming efficient with cell-grown ingredients. Lab-grown cocoa won't suffer losses from climate change, can be produced locally, will provide new jobs, and has an almost guaranteed crop yield. In theory, this should bring down overall chocolate costs. One can only hope.
Why Cocoa Farming Is Struggling
The current price hikes are due to traditional cocoa farming often facing issues like extreme weather, water shortages, unfair labor practices, and deforestation. This is a disastrous cocktail of misfortune that is crippling cocoa crops worldwide. Their losses trickle down to us, the consumers, as price hikes.
A Sweeter Future For Chocolate
Cloned cocoa is still new, but it holds immense potential for a sustainable and ethical chocolate future. Sounds like a win-win, right? Keep your eyes peeled for innovative cell-grown treats hitting shelves later this year. They might just become your new, sustainable, sweet-tooth satisfier!
Want to support ethical and sustainable chocolate choices today? Check out brands committed to fair trade and responsible sourcing like TCHO, Lake Champlain, and YumEarth.
