Green and Blacks Chocolate

A few days ago Green and Blacks asked if they could send me a few bars of chocolate to review. And as someone who has already had my fair share of chocolate, this was right up my alley. So I said yes.

Totally forgetting my whole “30 Days of No Sugar” thing.

Oops.

But since they sent them to me, and it’s my job and all, I did have a couple squares of the dark chocolate bar they sent. (The rest is waiting on the top shelf in my office until after February 16th!) (I promise)

Ingredients

Now firstly (is that even a  word? I dunno) I need to talk ingredients. All of the bars do contain a small amount of soy lecithin in them. And while I’m not a fan of soy at all, it is such a small amount, that unless you have allergies, I can’t imagine it would be a huge problem. (Kelly has comments from the guy who runs G&B (Craig Sams) pertaining to the soy lecithin) I don’t like that it’s in there, but then again I normally only get chocolate for Valentine’s Day and my birthday, so I think I’m safe. Of course if you’re allergic to soy, or are nursing a little one sensitive to it, you’d have to stay away.

Now the milk chocolate is made using milk powder and this powder may contain oxidized cholesterol. Unlike normal, natural cholesterol, oxidized cholesterol has been shown to be one of the real causes behind heart disease. This is something I do try and avoid and it worries me that it’s so high up on the ingredient list. So, personally I’ll stay away from the milk chocolates and I wouldn’t recommend others eating them either.

Why Buy Organic Chocolate?

Chocolate is actually one of the most heavily sprayed crops and cocoa trees are often heavily sprayed with pesticides, usually to a greater extent than most other plants. Furthermore, cocoa fat can actually retain pesticides more than other foods.

This is a list of the pesticide residues that the EPA allows on imported cocoa:

• Methyl Bromide — prostate cancer, kidney and liver effects, neurological effects
• Pyrethrins — carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity
• Hydrogen Cyanide — acute toxicity, thyroid effects, nerve degeneration
• Naled — central nervous system disruption; headaches, nausea and diarrhea
• Glyphosate — effects on digestive system tissue, genetic damage, effects on reproduction, carcinogenicity
• (effects are based on animal studies)

Another bonus of buying organic is the fact that the ingredients will not be genetically modified.

Fair Trade

Green & Black’s has also recently announced a commitment to move its entire chocolate range, worldwide, to Fair Trade. Below are some additional details:

• With this commitment, Green & Black’s will become the world’s leading 100% organic and 100% Fair Trade Certified chocolate brand.
• This Fair Trade commitment will provide farmers with the security of fair prices.
• Green & Black’s will make an additional monetary investment of $485,000 per year for the next ten years for social, environmental and economic development in the farmers’ communities.

Who’s Your Daddy?

It seems now a days that big companies are gobbling up the little guys faster than flies can find manure. And Green and Blacks is no stranger to this. It’s actually owned by Cadbury, who is now owned by Kraft. And while I think the world might just be a better place without large corporations, I do hope that the advertising budget of such a large company can help get word out about products like this. Organic and fair trade products are important to buy. We vote each and every time we choose to buy products like these from Green and Blacks.

My Actual Review

I love the chocolate from Green and Blacks. I won’t lie that the soy doesn’t bother me a bit, but when it comes to indulging, I feel much better buying good chocolate like this. The dark chocolate I had (70% cacao) was fabulous and smooth. Everything chocolate is supposed to be! So if your husband waits until the very last minute to buy you chocolate for Valentine’s Day like mine does, tell him you wouldn’t mind some Green & Blacks dark chocolate. (My husband has the added benefit of working across the street from our local health food store that carries it)

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Donielle Baker

owner and editor of Natural Fertility and Wellness at Natural Fertility and Wellness

I believe women can learn how to heal their bodies & balance their hormones through natural methods. An advocate for natural health, I have a passion for nourishing/real food nutrition and natural living. My personal background includes both infertility and miscarriage and I started Natural Fertility and Wellness in 2008 in order to share all of the information I found helpful in my journey to heal from PCOS and overcome infertility.

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