Industry Standards

One of our most important goals is to identify and articulate voluntary industry standards for processing cacao, manufacturing chocolate and producing "fine" chocolate products.

INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Fine chocolate and fine chocolate products are natural food products offering the consumer wonderful taste sensations and aromas no other product can provide.

Fine chocolate, whether couverture, or bar chocolate, is chocolate made under current good manufacturing practices from properly grown and harvested cacao beans plus a small list of additional ingredients and without the use of artificial substances to create a chocolate true to its origins.

Fine chocolates, whether bonbons, flavored bars, or other artisan chocolate creations, are attractively presented and skillfully crafted so the flavor of the chocolate is complemented by natural and fresh ingredients.

CODE OF ETHICS

As members of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association, we aim to:

• Advocate highest quality in all aspects of chocolate production.
• Protect and improve consumer rights, act as the consumer's champion, and promote choice and value for money.
• Support all fine chocolate producers.
• Celebrate the independent chocolate shop as an integral, enjoyable facet of community life.
• Model and promote sustainable, humane, and equitable ways of producing fine chocolate.
• Foster greater appreciation of traditional cocoa products while promoting innovative fine chocolate artistry.
• Campaign for clarity, transparency, and traceability in labeling.
• Seek improvements throughout the industry from cocoa pod to finished product.

TRANSPARENCY

We believe in transparent labeling and marketing practices. What does transparency imply for the fine chocolate industry? It simply means that we respect the consumer and their intelligence by being open about the ingredients and processing of our chocolate products. We keep our labels, ingredient and marketing messages accurate and don't make claims that we cannot support.

"The FCIA and its members work hard in keeping truth and honesty in chocolate labeling among artisan chocolatiers, a trend seen usually reserved for the wine industry. All of our goals under the guidance of the FCIA, are to push fine chocolate ahead of the mass produced sub- quality chocolate that Americans have been forced to consume for decades."
Jason Willenbrock, Posh Chocolat