Is that a lie in your FMCG product?

At Newslaundry, we believe in informed choices and we believe that you, dear reader, deserve to know the reality behind the publicity campaign. So while we keep doing media ki dhulai, we’ve got a new collaborator with a similar agenda. Consumer VOICE [Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education] is a voluntary (obviously) organisation that cares about consumer rights — your rights – and examines the products that we’re being sold, with a critical eye looking out for false promises and malpractices.

As one of their first consumer-right initiatives, in 1984, VOICE filed a suit against the ‘Wills Made for Each Other’ tobacco campaign, arguing it was monopolistic and discriminated against consumers who did not smoke. Since 1997, VOICE has been publishing monthly magazines in which they showcase results of comparative product testing. They have also worked in close co-ordination with the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India from 1999. The products they test could be as large as air-conditioners or as tiny as USB drives.

With Hello Testing, Newslaundry and VOICE show you results of research conducted by VOICE about consumer products so that buyers can make informed choices. Here is the first of this series from us to you. Since all beginnings should be with kuch meetha, we start with dark chocolate – okay, almost meetha.

Consumer VOICE recently conducted a survey on dark chocolate, which scientific literature suggests is the healthiest variety of chocolate.

As per Indian Standards, the minimum cocoa requirement for a plain dark chocolate is 12 per cent and VOICE survey found that chocolate products containing more than 70 per cent cocoa are the most beneficial and healthy. The survey has tested samples from six brands – Lindt, Cadbury, Amul, Ritter Sport, Moser Roth and Delaviuda Dark – and divided them into two categories: Dark bitter, with 70-73 per cent cocoa solids and Dark, with 50-55 percent. The results put Lindt and Ritter Sport as the top performers in the ‘dark’ and ‘dark bitter’ categories respectively.

Also the cocoa content that each of these brands contain was found as per their claims, which means the fine print on their ingredients can be trusted. The brands were also tested for microbiological activities and they were all found safe to consume, with consumers not running any risk of food-borne diseases.

As for physiochemical parameters, one of the most important factors in determining the shelf life of chocolates is the moisture content in the product. The good news is that all the tested brands recorded less than one percent moisture content, which means you’re not likely to eat chocolate that’s past its prime chocolatiness. It ranged from 0.45 per cent to 0.70 per cent, with Delavida topping the list with the minimum amount of moisture.

So the next time your heart longs for a chocolate, pick dark chocolate. As the bittersweet flavours fill your palate and life suddenly feels better, know that it’s not just hype. Science is on dark chocolate’s side.

Over the coming weeks, VOICE will tell you details like this about a wide range of products, from smart phones to vegetable oils, electronics to Bluray. That way, you know the essential stats about the products you’re buying.

Also, write in to us at contact@newslaundry.com if you think there’s a group of products that needs to be tested. We’re all ears.