WHAT’S REALLY IN THOSE BOXES OF CHOCOLATES?

In the O. Henry story, “The Gift of the Magi,” a couple made sacrifices to give each other wonderful gifts, yet the efforts backfired and neither recipient ended up with a useful gift.

Here’s a modern day story. Two relatives in different states, unbeknownst to the other, got the idea to send fancy chocolates as gifts. Surely, if the chocolates cost more than average, they would have all safe ingredients. Right? Wrong.

Box A was a brand called:

Cravings by Zoe, Chocolate Truffles Gift Box, Gourmet Assorted Chocolates/16 Count

The ingredients listed were: Amaretto, caramel, champagne, coffee, hazelnut, Irish cream, raspberry, sea salt, caramel, Tiramisu.

Sounds wonderful and harmless, but aren’t these flavors, what about the rest of the ingredients? They were very hard to locate, as if the manufacturer didn’t want us to see them, but A Quality Life blog tracked them down.

In addition to regular ingredients, such as sugar, cocoa, butter, heavy cream, etc., were ingredients of special concern:

Artificial flavors-Chemical compounds

Hydrogenated coconut oil-can raise cholesterol levels

Propylene glycol-people with kidney and liver concerns should avoid products with this additive

FD&C red #3-banned in cosmetics more than 20 yrs. ago, but still used in food. Can cause neurobehavioral effects, not advised for intake by children

Red # 40-although approved by the FDA, it’s a synthetic derived from petroleum

Yellow # 5-known as tartrazine, this is a chemical compound

Yellow # 6-Sunset yellow is a petroleum-derived dye

Blue 1-Brilliant blue is a triarylmethane dye petroleum-derived

TBHQ-tert-butylhydroquinone is a synthetic compound used in varnishes, lacquers, biodiesel, and sometimes food

Does the above make you say, “Yum,” or “Yuck” ?

Box B was a brand called:

Russell Stover, Caramel and Nuts in Milk and Dark Chocolate/16 Count

Now, that’s a famous brand, so it should be safe, right? The ingredient list starts out with milk chocolate, but right away an artificial flavor pops up. A Quality Life blog found the following ingredients to be of concern:

Artificial flavors-unspecified chemical compounds

Potassium sorbate-a chemical additive which can affect immunity

Dipotassium phosphate-sometimes used in fertilizer and also in food. Can affect kidneys.

TIPS:

*Carry a magnifier in purse/pocket to assist in reading labels in stores, if possible.

*If you don’t have a magnifier with you and have trouble reading small print on a label, avoid products with long ingredient lists.

*When shopping online, look for a full ingredient list. If it’s unavailable, don’t buy it.

*Organic chocolates may cost a little more sometimes but not necessarily more than Box A or B. They do not have artificial ingredients or preservatives and are GMO-free.

Consumer Reports found heavy metals in 20 kinds of dark chocolate. See Eat This, Not That! blog for more information and type in Safest Dark Chocolate in the search bar.

https://www.eatthis.com