Science Is Saving Chocolate

nightqueen

Nov 22, 2019 9:08 AM EST

Before we begin, remember one thing: IT'S OK. WE WON'T RUN OUT OF CHOCOLATE. That said, it's looking like chocolate could go extinct by 2050 if scientists don't intervene... but they will, because chocolate is something that we all need. A world without chocolate is a world I don't want to live in (although a world made out of chocolate is another story).

via FWTX

Who doesn't love chocolate? Not only is it the most delicious sweet out there (I dare you to disagree with me), it also has health benefits and a surprising number of holidays dedicated to it. It's also the most popular sweet around the world (here's proof).
So now for the bad news. Humans are consuming chocolate faster than it can be produced, and due to a number of factors (also caused by humans), at this rate, the world could run out of chocolate by 2050. Uh oh.
via Huff Post

The cacao tree isn't easy to harvest cacao beans from; sometimes it can take two years for trees to get fruit from a seedling. But that's not the problem. Around 70% of the world's cacao trees are located in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. As global temperatures continue to rise, these nations are experiencing increasingly dry weather, which can prevent cacao trees from growing.
The trees are also at risk from deadly pests and diseases - some which, in the past, have destroyed 30 - 40% of the world's cocoa production. The increasing extreme weather conditions that the world is experiencing doesn't help either.
via Independent

But science is here to help. The solution could lie with genetically modified (GM) plants - and don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds, although the topic is very controversial. The benefits of genetic modification is that plants can become drought tolerant or insect resistant, and can even reduce the use of pesticides. While some people prefer to eat foods without genetically modified products, others don't mind - and would rather have chocolate with genetically modified cacao than no chocolate at all.
via Approved Food

Some people argue that one of the cons of GM foods is that they are more tasteless (like tomatoes). If genetic modification bothers you, there may be another solution. In Haiti, there are 600 cacao 'supertrees' that produce 20 times as many cacao pods as normal trees, and experts say that the cacao tastes "seductively sweet" rather than bitter.
Although 600 trees is not nearly enough to replace the entire cacao industry, these trees are relatively easy to graft and reproduce - so by 2050, these supertrees could be providing some chocolate - at least, for the people who can afford organic chocolate (I don't want to imagine what the price of this will be in 2050). The rest of us might have to do with GM chocolate. Honestly, at the end of the day I don't care how it's made - I just need my chocolate fix.