ALL-BRITISH CHOCOLATE BAR MADE BY SCIENTISTS USING READING-GROWN COCOA

A master’s student has produced the first all‑British chocolate bar in more than eight decades, using a glasshouse‑grown cocoa plant at Rowntree’s headquarters in York. The bar, made in 2024, marks the first time since 1932 that a chocolate bar was created entirely from UK ingredients and is intended to draw attention to the climate crisis’s impact on cocoa cultivation.

According to the Climate crisis section of The Guardian, the bar was created from a cocoa plant grown in a controlled environment, bypassing the need for imported beans that are increasingly threatened by shifting weather patterns. The effort also echoes a historical footnote: Queen Elizabeth II was the only person in history to have ever eaten a chocolate bar made with 100% British ingredients, a treat she received from Rowntree’s when she was six years old in 1932. The new bar demonstrates how local production can counteract the vulnerabilities of the global cocoa supply chain.

The story underscores the growing need to secure food supply chains amid climate change, as rising temperatures and droughts threaten traditional cocoa-growing regions. It illustrates how science‑driven, localized approaches can provide both a symbolic and practical response to environmental challenges.

• First all‑British chocolate bar since 1932, produced by a master’s student in York.
• Bar made entirely from a glasshouse‑grown cocoa plant, avoiding imported beans.
• Highlights the climate crisis’s effect on cocoa cultivation and the importance of local sourcing.

Read the original source for full detail available at Climate crisis | The Guardian src