15. Press, expeller or refined cocoa butter

15. Press, expeller or refined cocoa butter

Food preparations containing cocoa in blocks, slabs or bars weighing more than 2 kg or in liquid, paste, powder, granular or other bulk form in containers or immediate packings, of a content exceeding 2 kg (excl. cocoa powder, preparations containing 18 % or more by weight of cocoa butter or containing a combined weight of 25 % or more of cocoa butter and milkfat; chocolate milk crumb; chocolate flavour coating; chocolate and chocolate products; sugar confectionery and substitutes thereof made from sugar substitution products, containing cocoa; spreads containing cocoa; preparations containing cocoa for making beverages)

(14a) Cocoa, cocoa butter and a series of other vegetable fats used in the manufacture of chocolate are mainly produced in developing countries; it is in the interests of people living in developing countries that agreements of as long a duration as possible should be concluded; the Commission should therefore consider how the Community can support this in the case of cocoa butter and other vegetable fats, in particular by promoting fair trade;

Secondly, there are industrial processes, involving chemical or genetic engineering methods, which make it possible to obtain cocoa-butter equivalents, using a low-cost base material which is one of the six permitted, i.e. industrially-produced palm oil with a market price ten times less than that of cocoa butter.

It is permitted to add vegetable fat other than cocoa butter to the minimum quantity of cocoa required in accordance with the Directive, but no more than five per cent.