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"Public Comment to the FDA 
"Posted by Jim Macdonald at 04:32 PM * 107 comments 
"Lack of public comment is one of the the things that let the FDA take
away Cylert. 

"Now they’re planning to ruin chocolate. 

"Via Crooks and Liars: 

"From the Modesto Bee: 

"The federal Food and Drug Administration is proposing to redefine the
very essence of chocolate and to allow big manufacturers such as Hershey
to sell a bar devoid of a key ingredient - cocoa butter. The butter’s
natural texture could be replaced with inferior alternatives, such as
vegetable fats. And consumers would never know. 
Chocolatier Gary Guittard said it best: “No one can afford to sit back
and eat bonbons while America’s great passion for chocolate is
threatened.” 

"For every defender of traditional chocolate, there are powerful
proponents who want to replace cocoa butter with vegetable oil: the
Chocolate Manufacturers Association, the Grocery Manufacturers
Association and the Snack Food Association. These industry titans have
filed a “citizens petition” to the FDA, as the Los Angeles Times
recently reported, as if there were some groundswell in society to water
down chocolate. 

"At the moment, chocolate requires two basic ingredients - cocoa and
cocoa butter. Cocoa provides much of the flavor; cocoa butter, the
texture. So if, say, Hershey wanted to make a chocolate bar without
cocoa butter, it can under today’s rules. The product has to be
labeled “chocolate flavored” (for it still has the cocoa in it)
rather than “chocolate.” That gives the consumer a signal that
something less than chocolate lies beneath the wrapping. To help defend
chocolate, visit www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com and learn how to
submit feedback to the FDA. ..."