Picking chocolates: The ingredients list I

Selecting a good chocolate for Christmas, Easter and birthdays is ever more challenging with an abundance of small and large manufacturers. There is no legal obligation for a product to taste nicely but there is a legal obligation to list all ingredients truthfully and completely - and this can help identifying higher quality products.

Not so good ingredients

If you read one of the following you should get suspicious:

• Fat reduced cocoa
• Palm fat
• Vegetable fat

Manufacturers may remove the fat from cocoa and add palm fat later in the process. This replaces the more expensive cocoa fat with something cheap such as palm fat. Palm fat is one of the cheapest fats and has been argued to be destructive to the environment and the communities producing it. It does not contribute to the flavour (the cocoa butter does) and if anything, it is bad for your health. The term vegetable fat may refer to anything that is fat and made from plants. If a manufacturer is not willing or able to specify what they put into the product, this should ring your alarm bells.
Fat reduced cocoa is also associated with a process called Dutching (washing cocoa with potassium carbonate, also referred to as alkalising). This is more common in Europe than in the US but it is difficult to tell. It is rarely (never) declared in the ingredients list because it is a processing method rather than an ingredient. Dutching can reduce the good stuff (polyphenols that delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, help regulate high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart and cardiovascular conditions) in the cocoa solids by up to 90%. The number is subject to discussion with some people arguing that the reduction of polyphenols was negligible. Until that is decided, you should probably go for the natural cocoa. It may also have more complex flavours.

Better ingredients

Manufacturers can put some additional information in the list. By doing so, the manufacturer goes beyond its legal obligation. Because the manufacturers must not lie and they are bound to using the ingredients and methods as stated on the product. The extra commitment is often a positive indicator.

• Cane sugar
• Agave syrup
• Cocoa detail (e.g., origin, treatment)

By saying cane sugar, they actually have to use it. In contrast, saying sugar allows them to use any kind of sugar. Using cane sugar or agave syrup may show that the manufacturer has invested thought into the product, e.g. sometimes agave may add just the right edge with this cocoa but not with another one. Often, the more specific product details point towards a higher quality product.
But beware the fancy pantsy. The classic "made with" could mean that a small (tiny) proportion is high quality and lion's share is something else. The statement might be legit but still just smoke and mirrors.