Chocolate is good for any time of the year (are we right, or are we right?!) but what we don’t love with our chocolate is a whole bunch of additives.

So, with valentine’s day coming up let’s do a chocolate review so that you can give the best options this year.

We’ve highlighted in bold the additives we try (try being the operative word) to avoid wherever possible.

BEST TO AVOID

Cadbury Favourites

Ingredients
Sugar, Cocoa butter, Milk Solids, Cocoa Mass, Full Cream Milk, Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar, Sweetened Condensed Milk (Milk, Sugar), Vegetable Fat, Wheat Flour, Popping Candy (Contains Milk), Golden Syrup, Emulsifiers (Sunflower Lecithin, Soy Lecithin, 492, 476, 471), Cocoa Powder, Thickener ((1401) From Wheat), Pineapple, Acidity Regulators (330, 331), Strawberries, Apples, Colours (100, 141, 160a, 163, 171), Salt, Flavours, Vegetable Gum (414), Glazing Agent (Vegetable Oil, 901, 903), Raising Agent (500), Enzyme (Invertase), Cornstarch.

Ferrero Collection

Ingredients
Ferrero Rocher
Milk Chocolate (30%) (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Skim Milk Powder, Anhydrous Milkfat, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Flavouring: Vanillin), Hazelnuts (28.5%), Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Palm*), Wheat Flour, Whey Powder, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier (Lecithins) (Soy), Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt, Flavouring (Vanillin).

Confetteria Raffaello
Vegetable Fats (Palm*, Shea), Desiccated Coconut (23.5%), Sugar, Whole Almond (8%), Skim Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Flavourings, Emulsifier (Lecithins) (Soy), Salt, Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate).

Ferrero Rondnoir
Dark Chocolate (40.5%) (Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Flavouring: Vanillin), Sugar, Vegetable Fat (Palm*), Wheat Flour, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Skim Milk Powder, Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Flavouring: Vanillin), Wheat Starch, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower), Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Glazing Agent (Gum Arabic), Whey Proteins, Cocoa Mass, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt, Flavouring: Vanillin.

*Sustainable and segregated certified palm oil.

Cadbury Roses

Ingredients
Sugar, Milk Solids, Glucose Syrup, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Vegetable Fat, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Invert Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Malt Extract (From Barley), Humectant (422), Caramelised Hazelnuts (Contains Dextrose (From Wheat)), Golden Syrup, Rice Crisps, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, 471, 476, 492, Sunflower Lecithin), Hazelnuts, Salt, Hydrolysed Milk Protein, Maltodextrin, Freeze-Dried Raspberries, Flavours, Vegetable Gum (440), Acidity Regulators (331, 330, 341), Raising Agents (500), Colours (141, 160c, 150d), Mineral Salt (450), Vegetable Oil, Glazing Agents (904, 901), Peanuts.

Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate

Ingredients
Sugar, Vegetable Fats, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Whole Milk Powder, Skim Milk Powder, Lactose, Milk Fat, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Barley Malt Extract, Flavourings.

BETTER OPTIONS

Pana Organic Truffles

Ingredients
Mylk Truffles
Coconut Sugar*, Cacao* (Min 26%; Cacao Butter*, Cacao Mass*, Cacao Powder*), Prebiotic Tapioca Fibre*, Coconut Oil*, Coconut Milk Powder*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Carob*, Natural Vanilla Flavour.

Mylk Caramel Truffles
Coconut Sugar*, Cacao* (Min 20%; Cacao Butter*, Cacao Mass*, Cacao Powder*), Prebiotic Tapioca Fibre*, Coconut Oil*, Coconut Milk Powder*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Carob*, Salt, Natural Vanilla Flavour, Natural Caramel Flavour.

*Ingredients certified organic.

Organic Times Boxed Chocolates

Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Hazelnuts
Dark Chocolate* (67%) (Rapadura Whole Cane Sugar*, Cristallino Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Mass*, Cocoa Butter*, Soya Lecithin*), Hazelnuts* (33%), Glazing Agent*.

Dark Chocolate Macadamias
*Dark Chocolate (65%) (*Rapadura Whole Cane Sugar, *Cristallino Cane Sugar, *Cocoa Mass, *Cocoa Butter, *Soya Lecithin), *Macadamia Nuts (35%), *Glazing Agent.

Dark Chocolate Almonds
Dark Chocolate* (65%) (Rapadura Whole Cane Sugar*, Cristallino Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Mass*, Cocoa Butter*, Soya Lecithin*), Almonds* (35%), Glazing Agent*.
​
*Ingredients certified organic. No use of GMOs.

Loco Love

Many varieties
Loco Love have many chocolate options in their online store and are a great additive-free option.

Loving Earth

Ingredients
72% raw cacao beans*°, 28% evaporated coconut nectar*°, cashew*, hazlenut*, almond*. 72% min cacao.
*Certified Organic °Direct Trade

Loving Earth also have multiple other additive-free options as well.

Pico Chocolate

Ingredients
Cocoa solids (cocoa mass*, cocoa butter*, sugar*, vanilla pods*.
*Certified organic ingredients

Pico Chocolate also have multiple other additive-free options as well.

Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate

Ingredients
Organic cocoa mass (fairtrade ingredient), organic raw cane sugar (fairtrade ingredient), organic cocoa butter (fairtrade ingredient), emulsifier (soy lecithin), organic vanilla extract (fairtrade ingredient).

As you can see there are plenty of other options for Valentine’s Day with less additives and more real ingredients. Check out their websites for stockists of where to buy these products.  You may also find them at your local health food store.

Of course, you can always skip the chocolates and opt for something different, such as:

❤️ A lovely picnic at the park or beach
❤️ A day trip out in nature
❤️ A cozy movie night

The choices are endless.

Did you know we have an Additive-Free Lifestyle app available?  Using this app you will be able to scan ingredient labels and it will tell you if there are any additives detected and what they are.

This means that at a glance you will be able to decide if this product meets your own additive-free standards and can go in your trolley, or put back on the shelf.

If you haven’t yet checked out our app, then head HERE and give it a go!

💕 Happy Valentines Day 💕

Much love,
Jo & Tracey x