A chocolate bar made entirely from British-grown cocoa has been produced at the University of Reading, described as the first of its kind since 1932, when confectionery company Rowntrees made a bar of UK-grown chocolate for a six-year-old Princess Elizabeth. The bar was created by food security master's student Maha Khan using cocoa from the university's International Cocoa Quarantine Centre in Berkshire.
University of Reading student produces first all-British chocolate bar since 1932
A chocolate bar made entirely from British-grown cocoa has been produced at the University of Reading, described as the first of its kind since 1932, when confectionery company Rowntrees made a bar of UK-grown chocolate for a six-year-old Princess Elizabeth. The bar was created by food security master's student Maha Khan using cocoa from the university's International Cocoa Quarantine Centre in Berkshire.
The bar, named the Reading 100 Chocolate Bar, was made to mark the University of Reading's 100th anniversary. Khan harvested cocoa from the quarantine centre, removed the pulp and beans, fermented them over seven to ten days, dried them in the sun, then roasted and processed the material using university laboratory equipment, including winnowing and grinding before blending with milk and sugar.
The UK chocolate market is valued at £10.4 billion but is entirely dependent on imported cocoa, according to the source. The University of Reading's International Cocoa Quarantine Centre holds more than 300 varieties of cocoa plant in a climate-controlled facility designed to prevent the spread of pests and diseases between cocoa-growing regions and to provide a research environment for scientists.
Khan said she created the bar to draw attention to pressures on the global cocoa industry, citing estimates that climate change, pests, and diseases already account for losses of 30 to 40 percent of cocoa production, with further deterioration expected.
The quarantine centre is described as the primary hub of transfer for 97 percent of cocoa-growing countries, with cocoa plants quarantined there for two years before transfer.
- No independent verification is provided for the claim that this is the first all-British chocolate bar since 1932.
- The quantity of cocoa produced and the number of bars made are not stated.
- Whether the bar is available to the public or was a one-off demonstration is not established.
- No details are given about the specific pests or diseases affecting global cocoa supply.