O.M.G., this is bad. Little did I know that the slowly dwindling stockpile of Halloween candy in my pantry could be the last we see of . . . CHOCOLATE! NO!!!!!
Mars Inc. and Barry Callebaut, two of the world's largest chocolate makers, say that's the path we're headed down. They cite a perfect storm of factors: Less cocoa is being produced as more and more people are devouring chocolate.
In 2013, consumers ate about 70,000 metric tons more cocoa than was produced, The Washington Post reports, and that deficit could go up to 1 million metric tons by 2020. The Ivory Coast and Ghana produce more than 70 percent of the world's cacao beans, and both countries are experiencing dry weather that limits growth. To make things worse, a fungal disease called frosty pod has destroyed 30 to 40 percent of global cocoa production.
The world's appetite for chocolate isn't going away, and some countries, like China, are starting to consume more and more of the sweet treat. Dark chocolate is also rising in popularity, and that takes much more cocoa to create.
This is serious. As of today, I am implementing chocolate rationing in my household. Sorry kids, your Halloween stash has been confiscated. From here on out, daddy will be in charge of distributing chocolate goods. Until the global supply and demand of chocolate achieves stability, only daddy will be allowed to consume chocolate goods. The stakes are simply too high!
Good lord, what are we going to do when Valentine's Day rolls around? Will there be chocolate bunnies for Easter? Something tells me that the chocolate manufacturers will be able to survive. Cadbury eggs may get more expensive though.
