Ingredients in Chocolate

Chocolate contains very few ingredients, yet varieties of chocolate vary widely with respect to flavor, texture, and viscosity. In the United States, the FDA closely regulates the ingredients—and the quantities of those ingredients—that may be present in various cacao products in order for those products to meet the FDA’s definition for chocolate. (See Cacao Product Standards of Identity table.) European regulations and nomenclature for chocolate are slightly different but are also closely regulated. An overview of the ingredients permissible in chocolate and related products follows.