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Is Chocolate Vegan? 

 March 18, 2021

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These days it seems that chocolate has become synonymous with so many different celebrations and holidays throughout the year. This begs the question, can vegans eat chocolate?  What if I don't like dark chocolate?  Does vegan chocolate exist? What about white chocolate?

Dietarily speaking, dark chocolate is not at all off-limits for vegans.  If you pick the right brand, true dark chocolate, meaning chocolate containing 55–85% cacao, is typically free of animal products and junky additives such as palm oil (we’ll talk about palm oil later). In fact, dark chocolate contains one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants in any food, and the benefits of eating it have been widely studied and proven. Though it is often overshadowed by milk chocolate’s bad reputation for being full of sugar and fat, dark chocolate could actually be considered a bonafide “health” food! (in moderation, of course.)

Chocolate choices for vegans

Without even bringing veganism into the mix, there have always been divided opinions about chocolate. Some people are thoroughly unimpressed by the sometimes bitter taste of dark chocolate as they compare it with the often gratuitous sweetness of more popular milk chocolate. But increasingly there are more palatable varieties of dark chocolate coming on to the market in response to the demand from health-conscious consumers, vegans included. 

And, thankfully, gone are the days when people thought that carob was an acceptable substitute for chocolate!

Artisanal vegan confectioners and a few larger companies now produce a wide range of dark chocolates made from real cocoa and enhanced with everything from sea salt to cayenne pepper. And, much to the delight of the growing vegan community, “milk” chocolate and even white chocolate can now be found in certified vegan varieties too.

Vego Bar

A favorite treat of mine!

Vego Bar Chocolate

What makes vegan chocolate vegan?

Vegan chocolate makers have experimented with various nut and plant milks to achieve products as close to dairy chocolate as possible. Oat milk is one of the most successful replacements for dairy milk in chocolate  as it can imitate the necessary creaminess as well as adding its own natural sweetness. Almond milk also seems to add a complementary flavor to chocolate, which isn't surprising because chocolate and nuts have always got along pretty well. Since there are now so many non-dairy milk choices, there are also many other versions of chocolate. So, you’ll just have to try them all and see which one you like best!

Is white chocolate vegan?

If you are a purist who has ever argued that white chocolate isn’t actually chocolate, then you can feel vindicated, because it is actually a misnomer. Technically, the thing that makes chocolate chocolate is the presence of particular cocoa solids. While white chocolate does contain cocoa butter, it lacks cocoa liquor (it’s not alcohol) from the cocoa nib, which is what provides the famous taste of chocolate.

Cocoa butter by itself needs a lot of help to taste good, so in white chocolate you will usually find a hefty dose of dairy, sugar, and vanilla flavoring. Of course, the dairy milk portion of the recipe can be substituted with vegan milk in the same way as other chocolate. There are even many recipes online for making your own vegan white chocolate at home, if you can get your hands on some cocoa butter. 

Is dark chocolate always vegan?

No. Not all dark chocolate is created equal. You will have to be sure to examine the ingredient list on any dark chocolate to make sure there are no milk-derived “fillers”. The shorter the ingredient list, the better. In particular, you can expect dark chocolate offerings from the largest chocolate producers to not be entirely vegan, not least because of possible cross-contamination from dairy chocolate varieties during manufacturing. This is also why you may see “may contain traces of milk” labels on some products which is necessary for making people aware of potential allergen exposure in the food. Milk is one of the eight major food allergens.

Fortunately, according to FDA law, dairy ingredients must not be hidden, so they should be clearly identifiable on the packaging. And you should see a “may contain milk” warning on dairy-free products if it was made on shared equipment where the risk of dairy contamination is likely. 

Here are some dairy ingredients you should watch out for and avoid when checking the ingredient list on your chocolate:

Ingredient

What is it?

Skim Milk

Also known as fat-free milk. 0% fat

Butterfat

The fat found in cream

Whey

One of the two types of protein present in milk. It’s a byproduct of the cheese making process

Butter Oil

The fat concentrate that’s left after all water and non-fat solids are removed from butter or cream

Milk Powder

Milk solids left behind after all moisture is removed

Lactose

A natural sugar found in milk

Malted Milk Powder

Malt powder (made from wheat flour) with milk solids added

But don’t worry about cocoa butter. Though it is called butter, it is simply a natural plant fat that is extracted directly from the cacao bean and incorporated into the chocolate for a smoother consistency. Since it is solid at room temperature and melts readily when warmed, it is a crucial element needed to provide the desired qualities of chocolate. The name ‘butter’ is used simply because the texture and melting tendencies of cocoa butter resemble that of dairy butter. 

Are there other non-vegan ingredients in chocolate?

Maybe. For example, have you ever wondered why your dark chocolate-covered raisins are so shiny? It’s because they are probably covered in a substance known in the confectionery industry as “shellac”. This type of glaze is actually made from, well...bugs. Technically, it’s made not from the bugs themselves but from the goo they excrete after sucking sap from trees in Southeast Asia. But during the process of collecting said goo, of course the bugs are inevitably squashed in a very non-vegan sort of way, earning the resulting substance a nickname: “beetlejuice”.

The glaze is used in many types of shiny candy, not just those involving chocolate, and also in the pharmaceutical industry. You can find it listed on ingredient labels hiding behind a few different names:

  • Confectioners glaze
  • Resinous glaze
  • Confectioners resin
  • Candy glaze
  • Pure food glaze
  • Natural glaze
  • Food additive number E904 (in     Europe)
confectioners glaze

Can I bake with vegan chocolate?

Yes! Because it probably still contains cocoa butter, vegan chocolate can be melted and used in the same way as dairy chocolate.  Additionally, cocoa powder you might use in cakes and brownies is naturally vegan and it will play well with all of the other vegan ingredients you may want to use in your baking. You can also look for vegan chocolate chips in the same places you would find your other vegan chocolate.

Cacao powder

What about the sugar in chocolate? Is that always vegan?

Like cocoa, sugar is a completely natural plant product. It is extracted from sugar cane stalks. However, it’s possible that the bag of refined cane sugar in your cupboard is less vegan than you thought it was, and this is due to methods that may have been used in its production. 

In order to filter and bleach the sugar to obtain a desirable bright white color, the crystallized cane sugar is filtered through bone char. What is bone char exactly? It’s carbon that has been made from the bones of animals, usually cattle. Hopefully, the sugar itself will not actually contain any of the carbon particles from bone, but still; one would consider that this portion of the production process is decidedly non-vegan!

Bear in mind though that not all sugar is made this way. For example, sugar from sugar beets is processed differently and does not require the same filtering or bleaching, so no animal carbon is used. But sugar beet sugar and sugar cane sugar are actually much different in terms of how they are used in recipes, so it is not a simple matter of ‌switching‌ ‌to‌ ‌sugar beet‌ ‌sugar‌ ‌only. However, turbinado sugar (also from sugar cane), which is not processed through bone char, can be substituted for granulated cane sugar in the same amounts!

Organic cane sugar

When it comes to your vegan chocolate made by a company that probably knows about this issue, you can safely assume that certified organic cane sugar was used in their recipe. Instead of bone char, it was filtered through granulated carbon from non-animal sources. Check the link to see if the brand you usually buy is certified organic cane sugar. 

But is there more for vegans to consider before making chocolate, dark or otherwise, a regular addition to their food choices? The ingredient that all chocolate has in common is cocoa (or cacao) from cocoa beans, and therein lies a problem that all consumers, vegan or not, should be aware of!

Exploitative labor in cocoa harvesting for chocolate.

Chocolate has a dark side in more ways than one. Cocoa beans grow in regions of the so-called cocoa belt, within 20 degrees of the equator. The farms where cocoa is grown and harvested are often run by very poor farmers who are stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty. This has resulted in the use of child and slave labor on the cocoa farms.

It’s very difficult to be confident in your dedication to cruelty-free, ethically sourced vegan products if it turns out that your chocolate bar was made from cocoa beans picked by a ten-year-old child who was taken away from his family and forced to pick cocoa instead of being able to attend school.

The problem is particularly prevalent in West Africa where much of the cocoa used by the biggest chocolate companies comes from. Though it has access to nearly infinite‌ ‌resources‌ ‌to‌ ‌implement‌ ‌real‌ ‌action‌ ‌against‌ ‌child‌ ‌labor‌ ‌and‌ slavery‌ ‌practices,‌ most of ‌the‌ ‌chocolate‌ ‌industry‌ still lacks transparency and ‌has‌ ‌done‌ ‌disturbingly‌ ‌little‌ ‌to‌ ‌tackle the ongoing issue.

However, because chocolate is a luxury product and not a necessity, all consumers can certainly play a role in addressing these injustices, and our choices really will make a difference. For instance, here is an up-to-date list of recommended vegan and non-vegan chocolate makers you can support as they have shown that they do not source their cocoa beans from West African farms where the problem is ongoing. 

The list is also broken into categories showing companies with mixed reliability when it comes to avoiding sourcing from areas where slavery and child labor are pervasive, and also those who still source 100% of their cocoa from those areas. 

You can also download the list as a free app so that you can have it on hand next time you are buying chocolate!

What do the fair trade labels on chocolate mean?

When stamped on chocolate, it can be unclear what exactly fair trade means – is the cocoa fair trade or just the sugar, or both? Maybe neither... 

It may be that we are falling victim to something called “greenwashing”. The term “fair trade” (two words) is not protected, so any company can use it on their product to make consumers feel like they are supporting a good cause. It can get pretty confusing trying to navigate all of the various stamps and logos claiming to be doing good. Here is a rundown of all the labels and logos you may come across and what they mean.

Fairtrade Logo

A logo you can trust.

Fairtrade Chocolate

Chocolate mission statement, right on the wrapper!

One thing is certain, though. When you see chocolate, or any product, stamped with a certain logo (see image above) and the word “Fairtrade” (one word), you can be sure that there are strict rigorous social, economic, and environmental standards in place along with defined rules surrounding what goes into those products and the traceability of the ingredients.

In the case of many cocoa producers in West Africa, the impact of Fairtrade practices has been life-changing. The root of the child labor and slavery issue was the fact that the farmers were not paid fairly for what they were producing, so in desperation they had to find labor wherever possible. 

But now, with Fairtrade oversight in place, they are able to earn a reasonable living wage for their families. Fairtrade has even funded new schools in local communities. These are long-term commitments that will enable those farmers to overcome poverty and pass the benefits on for future generations in their community.

Is palm oil used to make chocolate?

Chocolate itself should not contain palm oil, but the filling inside some chocolates and candies might. Palm oil is found in a massive number of products. It’s true that the overproduction of palm oil is responsible for extensive deforestation in animal habitats, threatening many vulnerable animal species with extinction. 

Because it is so cheap to produce and has so many beneficial features when added to various products, it is a gargantuan task to attempt to eliminate palm oil from our food supply. However, due to increasing concerns over the negative effects of palm oil farming, there are efforts underway to switch to sustainable palm oil production which has been designed to have a much smaller impact on the environment, communities, and our animal friends.

In the chocolate industry, and others, you can certainly find companies who are avoiding the use of palm oil or making an effort to support a sustainable supply. But there are still plenty who have not made any acknowledgment of the problem. Again, customer advocacy is going to have a big effect here because consumer choices have the potential to instigate long-term change, especially when we're choosing luxury food items such as chocolate.

Here is a scorecard you can use to see if the brands you buy are making progress towards less damaging sources of palm oil for future consumers.

The future of vegan chocolate.

It was misunderstood for a while, but now it seems that vegan chocolate is officially a ‘thing’ and there is no shortage of demand for it. Besides veganism, there are lots of reasons chocolate-lovers may be avoiding dairy, including milk allergies, lactose intolerance, and simply a desire to eliminate dairy from their diet. Now that it tastes good too, there’s no reason why people should think twice about giving it a try!


Let's Discuss!

We'd love to hear from you!  Do you have any questions?  What's your favorite brand of vegan chocolate?  Let us know in the comments below!

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