There are days the work of a Grazzhopprz reporter and observer is sweeter than others. Literally. Remember Stevia? A sweetener with great health benefits, according to those who can judge these things, especially when compared to sugar which we all know is not that healthy and we tend to consume way too much of it. The problem with Stevia was that it was considered novel in the European Union, and a novel food product has to go through lots of tests and come up with evidence that it is safe to consume. It took Stevia fans, researchers and lobbyists quite some time, but last year we shared the good news: Stevia was granted access on the EU market. (also see our previous post here).
What a lovely surprise to find a chocolate bar in the local eco-supermarket with large letters saying “Delicious with Stevia extracts”. At Grazzhopprz we take our work seriously, and the purchase was done immediately: here’s our chance to get down to really reporting on Stevia: does it work as sweetener in chocolate?
Cavalier, a Belgian family company, also informs us on the package that there’s ‘zero sugars added’. That’s their niche: healthy chocolate, with no sugars added. And Cavalier is good in other ways too, my chocolate bar is fairtrade, and looking at their website, all their chocolate is produced in a socially responsible way. And none contains sugar.
Back to my tasting session: open the packaging with care, make the most of the moment when you know you will get the taste of chocolate in your mouth. Look at the nice, dark, chocolate brown colour. And go for it!
Mmmmmmm….
If it wasn’t for the large letters on the packaging, I couldn’t tell that the sweetener used was any different from other chocolates where sugar has been used. Not that I’m an expert, I’m more of a chocolate lover really, but seeing this chocolate is healthy…well, I think I’ll treat myself to another piece… life is sweet indeed!
Tove Antonissen
