UK chocolate manufacturers keep traditional recipe

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is this week consulting on draft regulations to implement a new European Directive that defines chocolate. The new directive means that the UK's traditional milk chocolate recipe can stay the same, with just a small change to the labelling when sold elsewhere in Europe, claims the FSA.

Debates at the European Council and European Parliament level related specifically to the rights of different countries to continue to follow their own traditions of making chocolate and still call the product 'chocolate'.

The UK argued strongly to defend its 'traditional recipe', keen, in the words of the FSA, "that our consumers and producers be able to keep eating and making the chocolate they prefer".​ The debate has now come to an end with the new Directive allowing British chocolate makers to keep to their usual recipe. They will also continue to have the right to call their chocolate 'milk chocolate'​ when on sale in the UK. In order to distinguish it from other recipes of chocolate, it will be marketed as 'family milk chocolate'​ when sold in other European countries. The Directive also introduces restrictions on the types and numbers of vegetable fats that can be used.

The first European Union chocolate directive was agreed in 1973 and allowed the then new entrants to the European Community, the UK, Ireland and Denmark, to use a small amount of vegetable fats in their chocolate. The directive allowed the UK to call its chocolate 'milk chocolate'​when marketed nationally but it had to be called 'milk chocolate with high milk content'​ when sold elsewhere in the EC.

Mark Woolfe of the FSA's Food Labelling and Standards Division commented: "An early suggestion from other EU member states was to call our chocolate "vegelate" which was totally unsatisfactory. We have negotiated hard and managed to come to an agreement with other member states so that our producers can keep to their own traditional recipe."​

The UK has the second highest consumption per person of chocolate in Europe, with a market value of £4 billion. However the chocolate traditionally produced in the UK for the British consumer is different from chocolate produced in most of Europe. It is generally made with more milk and less cocoa. In addition, for decades UK manufacturers have also used small amounts of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter in their chocolate.

Views from stakeholders on the new Directive are being sought by the FSA, prior to full implementation by August 2003. The FSA is also seeking the views of stakeholders on the use of the word 'chocolate'​ to describe products with a chocolate flavour. This is to resolve an apparent confusion in the labelling regulations over whether using chocolate refers to a chocolate flavour derived from the cocoa powder or from 'real' chocolate as an ingredient.

Full details on the consultation can be found on the FSA​ website.