Imagine a chocolate free world. A chocolate free existence may seem like a far-fetched reality, but it is not. Move over oil spills and world peace politics; we are living in a chocolate shortage.
A United Kingdom's Daily Mail says decreased harvesting and cocoa crop availability and altered consumer preferences in China and India are to blame for the shortage.
What does this mean? In simple terms the price of chocolate will continue to rise if there is a chocolate shortage. Economics 101 says decreased availability will decrease supply. Changed preferences will increase demand. This will increase price. Quantity of chocolate will only decrease if the decrease is supply is greater than the increase in supply.
Daily Mail isn't the only website reporting a shortage. The Washington Post has an article about Mars investing efforts to develop trees resistant to current harvesting issues. (Mars is the chocolate company responsible for delicious chocolate like MNM's.)
The Washington Post attributes bad weather with harvesting challenges.
"Although chocolate seems ubiquitous, the cocoa on which it depends is a volatile crop. West Africa, which produces 70 percent of the world's cocoa, has been hammered by bad weather in the past few years. Rainfall has dropped, as temperatures rise."
Mars plans on creating this unique tree by generating a cocoa beans raw DNA. Thumbs up to biotechnology.
I don't want to bore you with facts. This blog is not about my, or anyone's, political beliefs. If you love chocolate, my advice is start a secret, temperature controlled chocolate stash right now.
What would you do to deal with a chocolate free existence? I would probably drink a lot more coffee, although chocolate could never be replaced.
Keep it chocolate,
Mandy Rose
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