Americans Consume 2.8 Billion Pounds Of Chocolate Each Year, Or Over 11 Pounds Per Person

On July 28th dive into the ever-popular National Milk Chocolate Day. When it comes to chocolate, this sweet easily pleases.

• The average person will consume 10,000 chocolate bars in a lifetime.
• Every second, Americans collectively eat 100 pounds of chocolate.
• In the U.S., chocolate candy outsells all other types of candy combined, by 2 to 1.
• Americans consume 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year, or over 11 pounds per person. Americans eat an average of 22 pounds of candy each year, split almost equally between candy and chocolate.
• Solid chocolate, when combined with either powdered, liquid or condensed milk, is known as milk chocolate. While candy bar makers use milk chocolate to make their most popular candy bars, the treat isn’t the healthiest of the chocolates.
• We’ve been adding milk to chocolate beverages since the mid-17th century.
• In 1875 a Swiss confectioner, Daniel Peter, developed a solid milk chocolate using condensed milk, which had been invented by Henri Nestlé. Several years later he worked with his friend Henri Nestle and they created the Nestle Company and brought milk chocolate to the mass market. Nestlé Milk Chocolate was sold in many countries around the world, including the United States and Canada. According to Nestle, the bar was discontinued in 2016.
• More than 50 percent of adults in the US prefer chocolate to any other flavor.
• Americans eat 2.8 billion pounds of candy annually. About half of it is chocolate.
• The word chocolate comes from “Xocolatl,” the Aztec word that means “bitter water.”
• Eating chocolate can help prevent tooth decay and works as an anti-bacterial agent.
• The overall taste of milk chocolate is altogether lighter and sweeter than dark chocolate and its texture is softer.
• The first known variation with donkey milk was developed by Jordan & Timaeus in 1839.
• The Hershey Company is the largest milk chocolate producer in the US.
• Spain introduced milk chocolate to Europe in the 1600s and the first commercial milk chocolate bars were produced by Cadbury’s in England in the mid-1800s.
• Research to date supports that chocolate can be enjoyed as part of a balanced, heart-healthy diet and lifestyle.
• The average serving of milk chocolate has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of decaf coffee.
• Studies have demonstrated that one of the major saturated fats in chocolate does not raise cholesterol like other hard fats–meaning chocolate can be enjoyed in moderation.
• Chocolate comes from a fruit tree; it’s made from a seed.
• Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate in his print shop in Philadelphia.
• The Aztec emperor Montezuma drank 50 cups of cacao a day from a golden chalice.
• Champagne and sparkling wines are too acidic to pair well with milk or dark chocolate. Try pairing a sweet bubbly with white chocolate and red wine with dark. In general, you want to match the sweetness level of the wine with the sweetness level of the chocolate.
• Chocolate has more than 500 flavors available, while wine has about 200.
• Hot Chocolate Was The First Chocolate Treat, Not The Bars.  Cocoa was brewed in both Aztec and Mexico; however, it wasn’t anything like the hot chocolate we get nowadays. It was primarily a bitter concoction that was often enjoyed during weddings and other occasions.
• Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45-second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Psycho, which actually took 7 days to shoot.
• During the Revolutionary War, soldiers were sometimes paid in chocolate.
• Napoleon always carried chocolate with him, which he ate as a pick-me-up whenever he needed an energy boost.
• Chocolate magnate Milton Hershey canceled his reservations for the Titanic due to last minute business matters.
• Hershey’s Kisses were first produced in 1907 and were shaped like a square. A new machine in 1921 gave them their current shape.
• Chocolate supposedly made its film debut when Jean Harlow ate candy in the 1933 comedy ‘Dinner at Eight’.
• The Brussels Airport is the biggest chocolate seller in the world, as vendors there sell more than 800 tons of chocolate every year.
• The film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was financed by Quaker Oats to promote its new Wonka Bar candy. This is also why the film is called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory instead of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” like the book it is based on.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Days of the Year

Foodimentary

Just Fun Facts

Candy USA

Food NDTV

Taste Essence

The Chocolate Website