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Adam Tooze: How China and India Could Transform the Chocolate Business

A rise in worldwide consumption would test an industry built largely on exploitation.

By , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.
A cocoa farmer stirs his spread out in the sun for drying in Bringakro, in the Ivory Coast.
A cocoa farmer stirs his spread out in the sun for drying in Bringakro, in the Ivory Coast.
A cocoa farmer stirs his spread out in the sun for drying in Bringakro, in the Ivory Coast, on Nov. 17, 2022. SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images

People around the world eat about 7 million metric tons of chocolate every year. But chocolate isn’t just a sweet way to end a meal or a potential present for a loved one. It’s also a $128 billion annual business that offers a window into international commodity trading, colonial history, and the consumption habits of emerging markets.

Cameron Abadi is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @CameronAbadi

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