u/OceansQuiver

Hi All,

Saw this post about chocolate: on; AussieFrugal, title; ‘Are Australia's biggest chocolate brands cutting too many corners?’ by; GregoInc

Asked the poster to also post here but they haven’t so here it is below.

Need to say, we had someone more computer savvy help us put all this together with all below information,

Video title:

’10 Chocolate Brands Sold in Australia to Avoid Right Now (And What to Buy Instead)’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzS3zBh3TKs

It’s a YouTube video about “cheap vegetable fats replacing cocoa butter, sugar dominating ingredient lists, shrinkflation quietly reducing block sizes, and “premium” branding masking the reality of mass-manufactured confectionery”

The video is worth a watch, with a cuppa…and some chocolate!

Some of the recommend brands are Aussie, that’s what this is for.

Summary:

The issues

-high prices, 

-reduced quality, cheaper ingredients; palm oil, PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) 

-child labor violations 

What to buy instead:

Whittaker’s  - ethical, bean-to-bar production,

Haigh’s - ethical, bean-to-bar production, 

Aldi's Moser Roth - budget option,

Koko Black -premium option,

Pana Organic - special occasions, vegan, and refined-sugar-free,

Other individual independent brands.

To identify high-quality chocolate in the supermarket aisle, look for these key indicators:

• Cocoa Percentage: Minimum 30% for milk chocolate; 50% to 70%+ for dark chocolate.
• Ingredient Order: Cocoa mass or solids must be listed in the first two ingredients, not sugar.
• No Synthetic Emulsifiers: Avoid PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate), used to replace expensive cocoa butter.
• Pure Cocoa Butter: Ensure it contains zero palm oil, palm fat, or generic vegetable oils.
• The Melt Test: Real chocolate melts cleanly at body temperature within 30 seconds. (this is great for doing in a Coles/Woolies store in the isle, just to check each and every brand like a try before you buy…joke!)

Hi All,

We (wife & I) went for our shop today to find Coles no longer stocks Ozesauce tomato sauce. Shelf was full of Coles own brand and Masterfoods. Vinegar section similar but not as bad. I don't mind 'no name' label, but as long as it supports here. They still could of kept Ozesauce there on the shelf and just had a tiny bit less of the others. They should be doing that and support Australian brands.

Wifey & I