January 2025 News & AMA | #PodSaveChocolate Ep91

Clay Gordon -

When and Where to Watch

🗓️
The stream airs at 11:00 MST (10:00 PST, 12:00 CST, 13:00 EST), on January, December 10th, 2024.

Links below to watch – or to view the archived episode
January 2025 News & AMA | #PodSaveChocolate Ep91
EPISODE OVERVIEWEpisode 91 of #PodSaveChocolate features the chocolate news that’s fit to eat & the AMA/Ask me Anything (about chocolate and cocoa) for Janua…
YouTube

Click on this (shareable) link to watch on YouTube. Please subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and share this episode to help grow the #PSC community.

Clay Gordon on LinkedIn: #podsavechocolate #lavidacocoa #thechocolatelife #cacao #cocoa #cacau…
EPISODE OVERVIEW Episode 91 of #PodSaveChocolate features the chocolate news that’s fit to eat & the AMA/Ask me Anything (about chocolate and cocoa) for…
LinkedInClay Gordon

This LINKEDIN link is shareable.

January 2025 News & AMA | #PodSaveChocolate Ep91
Other event by TheChocolateLife on Friday, January 10 2025
#PodSaveChocolate Ep91

This FACEBOOK link is also shareable.

Episode 91 Overview

This episode of #PodSaveChocolate is the January News & AMA episode.

CocoTerra - Experience the magic of making chocolate
your own chocolate, from scratch using CocoTerraWe bring the magic of making chocolate home to you. Discover CocoTerra, the world’s first personal chocolate maker. Make your own chocolate, from scratch using CocoTerra
CocoTerra Company
Wayback Machine

CocoTerra’s web history

Scientists uncover unexpected ally that could help save the world’s declining chocolate supply: ‘Our results suggest a clear path forward’
Researchers from the University of Göttingen studied the relationship between Ghanaian cocoa plants and neighboring trees.
The Cool DownSimon Sage
Functional groups of leaf phenology are key to build climate-resilience in cocoa agroforestry systems
Agroforestry has the potential to enhance climate change adaptation. While benefits from agroforestry systems consisting of cash crops and shade trees…
ScienceDirect
FDA updates the definition of ‘healthy’ foods
Packaged foods in the U.S. must follow new rules in order to call themselves “healthy.” That’s according to changes finalized by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday.
AP NewsJONEL ALECCIA
Use of the Term Healthy on Food Labeling
The FDA announced on December 19, 2024, a final rule to update the “healthy” claim that manufacturers can voluntarily use on food packages. The updated claim is consistent with current nutrition science and Federal dietary guidance.
FDAHuman Foods Program
Nutrition, Food Labeling, and Critical Foods
What’s new in food labeling and nutrition, including label claims, nutrition labeling for restaurants, and links to industry guidance.
FDAHuman Foods Program
Action Levels for Lead in Processed Food for Babies/Young Children
Guidance for industry on the action levels for lead in processed food intended for babies and young children
FDAHuman Foods Program

There is no similar actions regarding chocolate and lead.

🗞️
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order that mandates state agencies explore the safety of ultra-processed foods, food dyes, and “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) ingredients, and recommend actions to mitigate potential adverse effects on health.

California Executive Order N-1-25
Healthy Foods (.PDF)

Newsworthy?

Dr. Bronner’s debuts new look for chocolate bars
Dr. Bronner’s, the family-owned natural brand, has launched a new wrapper design for its line of Dark and Oat Milk Chocolate. The new labels reportedly offer improved legibility and brand recognition on retail shelves, with enlarged font sizes to better identify flavors, and differentiate between Dark and Oat Milk varieties. Additionally, the new wrappers boast enhanced colors and simplified flavor names, to ease consumer selection and visibility. All ingredients and flavor options remain the same, with a suggested retail price of $5.99. Dr. Bronner’s chocolate is made from a blend of Regenerative Organic Certified ingredients including cocoa from Ivory Coast, coconut sugar from Indonesia, and cocoa butter from Congo.
Snack Food & Wholesale BakeryCandy Industry Staff

No?

6 food and beverage trends to watch in 2025
The evolution of AI, more limited-time product offerings and GLP-1 use for weight loss are among the issues expected to play a more prominent role this year.
Food DiveChristopher Doering

What to think of these six.

Americans are drinking less milk, but devouring butter and cheese like never before
Never mind federal dietary guidelines, consumers are all in on flavor, price and simple ingredients, driving the change in habits.
Brooks Johnson

Think butterscotch over caramel as a way to take advantage of this trend.

Top 30 Most Expensive Chocolates in the World in 2025 (Updated)
Here is a list of the 30 most expensive chocolates. Premium quality chocolate is very rare and hence is priced beyond normal.
Marketing91Hitesh Bhasin

Still yet another listicle that proves ... expensive does not necessarily mean good – or that the compiler knows anything about chocolate.

Updated: TheChocolateLife::LIVE – 2nd Generation Chocolate
Episode 67 streams live from 12:00 EST Friday November 18th.
The Chocolate LifeTheChocolateWire

The Next Big Thing Appears To Be No More.

Key Features of Second Generation Chocolate

  1. Ingredients: The dark chocolate contains only two ingredients (cocoa and sugar), while the milk chocolate includes dairy as a third ingredient.
  2. Cocoa Content: Each bar contains 80% more cocoa compared to traditional chocolate.
  3. Sugar Reduction: Sugar content is reduced by 50%.
  4. Production Process: The chocolate is made using Barry Callebaut's Cocoa Cultivation & Craft (CCC) principle, which focuses on recognizing the special qualities of each cocoa bean and enhancing its natural flavors.

Production Process

The CCC principle involves several key steps:

  1. Sourcing: Beans are sourced from Cocoa Horizons, a non-profit organization created by Barry Callebaut to support cocoa farmers in Ecuador.
  2. Harvesting: The beans are processed within 8 hours of being picked.
  3. Fermentation: A specific fermenting practice creates a unique temperature development over time.
  4. Roasting: Carefully defined temperature phases stimulate unwanted volatiles to evaporate.

This new approach to chocolate making is the result of years of research, including collaboration with Jacobs University Bremen, Germany, which contributed to the development of advanced detection technologies and new sensory methods. Barry Callebaut believes this innovation represents a paradigm shift in the chocolate industry, offering a more natural and clean label confection that caters to consumers seeking high-quality, mindful indulgence [emphasis added].

Questions?

If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, you can add them in the Comments below at any time.

#News #AMA #Trends
#cocoa #cacao #cacau
#chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate
#PodSaveChoc #PSC
#LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife

Future Episodes

🗓️
Friday January 17th
ChocolateLife Member Thomas Forbes – The Current State of Cacao and Chocolate in the Dominican Republic

#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives

To read an archived post and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards, below.

Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and Archive
News, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!
The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon
#TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archive
News, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon
PodSaveChocolate
Hosted by Clay Gordon, the creator and moderator of TheChocolateLife.com, #PodSaveChocolate covers a wide variety of topics in the worlds of cocoa and chocolate. The video versions of this podcast are hosted and archived on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Click on the PodSaveChocolate link in the top nav on TheChocolateLife for the links to the post accompanying each episode.
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