More chocolate will be sold this festive season in Finland than ever before, the Food and Drink Industries Federation has revealed.
The organisation has said 16 million kilos of chocolate and chocolate products will be sold this year. When adding sweets and other confectionery to that total, it reaches 62 million kilos.
Although there has been a much wider range of chocolate and confectionery products to choose from in recent years in Finland, the old Christmas favourites have remained the same, pointed out Finland’s Chocolate Society President Jarkko Karhunen. He said the traditional favourites synonymous with Christmas such as Fazer, Marabou and Panda remain the same.
The Chocolate Society, which was founded in 2005, aims to promote chocolate awareness across Finland. Although Finns continue to purchase the best-known brands, Karhunen revealed that more people are now also buying from small chocolatiers. He noted that there is more raw chocolate on sale now too.
He admitted that he has no interest in consuming raw chocolate as a health food. He said he views chocolate as a stimulant and making it into a healthy food takes the whole enjoyment of the chocolate experience away.