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Post by aguynamedrobert on Apr 2, 2007 13:53:53 GMT -5
This is a big one guys...this is a must read and must help... What this proposed FDA law would do is make it so that up to 100% of the cocoa butter in chocolate could be replaced by vegetable fats and they could still call it Chocolate! So when you buy a bar of "fine chocolate" there would be a possibility that there is vegetable fats in it and not cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is important because of the way it melts. If this change occurs the companies that use vegetable fats will have chocolate that will have a horrible melting property and ruin the taste and feel of the chocolate. This law will confuse people on what real chocolate is in a time when people WANT REAL CHOCOLATE! So write in to the FDA! All the instructions are on the link below and it only takes a minute. Go tell them that you don't want to allow vegetable oils in Chocolate! dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com/whatsthisabout.aspRobert Noel www.chocolateguild.com
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josh
Novice
Posts: 56
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Post by josh on Apr 2, 2007 19:51:20 GMT -5
YOOOOOOO,
Rob! Duly noted with Temporary Comment Number: 116730! Thanks for the heads up. P.S. You are everywhere man, everywhere, lets stay friends? HA.
Everybody else and I mean eveybody should voice a complaint here too, anything less is chocolate treason. By the way, you gringos already forced a law like this on us last year-thanks CAFTA rules!
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Post by aguynamedrobert on Apr 5, 2007 20:27:28 GMT -5
Hey Everybody, Here is a link to the video that CBS 5 did on this proposal...They interviewed myself and Gary Guittard and showed it on the 6 oclock news...they messed up on how much vegetable oil will be allowed in the new definition of "chocolate" but check it out... cbs5.com/video/?id=22219@kpix.dayport.comRobert Noel www.chocolateguild.com
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Post by aguynamedrobert on Apr 23, 2007 13:37:02 GMT -5
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Post by sugaralchemy on Apr 29, 2007 17:15:21 GMT -5
This is part of a much further reaching proposal to relax the standards of identity. I feel this could be a good thing, as these standards of identity really do restrict and limit innovation in some situations. However, the current proposal is insane. The easiest, cheapest solution for replacing cocoa butter is to use partially hydrogenated oils, but the health impact would be terrible.
There is a supply imbalance between cocoa butter and cocoa powder. I believe it might be good for us to consider EU-style regulation. Up to 5% of the fat in chocolate may be vegetable fat, but that vegetable fat must approximate the fatty acid composition of cocoa butter and be only natural oils, not hydrogenated or interesterified fats.
The result of this regulation is that lower end chocolate use a blend of various vegetable oils (things like palm, shea, etc.) for that 5%. It reduces cocoa butter requirements and helps control costs everywhere, yet the integrity of the chocolate is retained because the triglycerides must be perfectly balanced and the resulting chocolate retains the same tempering characteristics and other functionality. Basically cocoa butter is re-created from a mix of other, natural oils, more or less. The levels are low enough that the taste impact is basically zero, particularly as these are mass market bars which aren't exactly a nuanced taste sensation to begin with.
Higher end chocolate, however, uses only cocoa butter in the EU - not by regulation, but by good practice. The total result of the EU regulations is that cocoa butter demands are trimmed, moderating prices, and everybody saves a little money without a major loss - no negative health impact and the integrity of the chocolate is generally maintained.
However, the current US FDA proposition would simply create a nightmare!
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