It seems the world is about to come to an end. It's time to say goodbye to a precious stalwart friend who has seen us through thick and thin. And it will not go out with a bang, but a whimper...the groans, wails and sobbing of those who cannot live without their daily fix of the worlds most delectable source of caffeine.....chocolate. Deep, dark, delicious chocolate!
Why, oh why are we now forced to cut back on that most delectable of delights? What has happened to deny us our smooth, sensuous snack?
It seems we eat too much. More than the industry can grow. And climate change has a hand in denying us our marvelous munchie.
There are a few major factors, it seems. Climate change is causing the chocolate growing West African nations to be too hot and dry. There has also been a fungal disease that is ravaging cocoa trees. In fact, the International Cocoa Organization puts the casualties at 30 percent to 40 percent of production.
We are running a chocolate deficit. Farmers are producing
less than we eat.
Already, we are in the midst of what could be the longest streak of consecutive chocolate deficits in more than 50 years. It also looks like deficits aren’t just carrying over from year-to-year—the industry expects them to grow
Goodbye warm delicious cups of cocoa..now it will be just hot milk and marshmallows a winter white of blah. Goodbye all day chocolate fountains...hello naked, boring fruit. Goodbye all those delectable chocolate bars..now it will just be nuts and caramel..meh. Goodbye Hershey's kisses...all we'll have left is the foil and the memories of scrumptious kisses
And if chocolate was the answer...
Then all we'll have left are the questions.