Choose your chocolate well!

Pay attention to the cocoa content

In France, it is a decree of the July 13, 1976, transposing a Community Directive, which defines the composition of chocolate products. Chocolates are composed of: cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, milk and ingredients that bring distinctive flavors (such as dried fruits, caramel, coffee, praline, orange peel, etc.). They are categorized as: chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, filled chocolate and chocolate candy.

The benchmark is minimum cocoa content, a content providing chocolate intensity. Except for chocolate sweets, this information shall appear on the labeling as follows: cocoa: x % minimum. This statement refers exclusively to the chocolate part of the product.

Chocolates with a cocoa content of more than 43 % may have their denomination supplemented by superiority qualifiers proving their quality, such as the term ‘black’.

Labeling of vegetable fats

Vegetable fats other than cocoa butter may be added alone or mixed up to a maximum of 5 % (content calculated on the chocolate part alone, after deduction of the added ingredients) without reducing the minimum content of cocoa butter or total cocoa solids. The addition of vegetable fats, other than cocoa butter, shall be limited to the following fats only: illipé, palm oil, sal, shea, kokum gurgi, mango kernels.

European regulations require that the packaging of these products must include the words: ‘contains vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter’.

In France, chocolates which do not contain any of these fats may be marketed under one of these names: pure chocolate cocoa butter, traditional chocolate or any other equivalent denomination.

Strict control of compositions and labels

The Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) monitors the application of these regulations (product composition and labeling) to suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers, importers and retailers.

Misleading advertisements such as those mentioning homemade chocolate, artisanal chocolate and handcrafted may give rise to notices to be given to offenders.