A taste test comparing British and American Cadbury chocolate has revealed surprising preferences, with most British children favouring the US-made version and vice versa. The test, conducted by BBC Newsround, involved children from both countries tasting Cadbury Dairy Milk bars produced in the UK and the US.
Among adults, a separate BBC taste test found that all participants could distinguish between Cadbury Dairy Milk and Hershey's milk chocolate. Terms like 'harder', 'more bitter', and 'not as rich' were used to describe Hershey's, even by those who liked it. None of the adult tasters selected Hershey's as their favourite, and two said they would not eat it at all.
When comparing US-made and UK-made Cadbury chocolate, opinions were divided. One taster noted they were 'quite similar', while another thought they tasted exactly the same. A British expat in the US, Alexandra Dimsdale, immediately recognised the 'normal' British taste and identified a 'weird aftertaste' in the US-made version and in Hershey's.
The difference in taste may stem from varying ingredient proportions and standards. In the EU, milk chocolate must contain 30% cocoa (including cocoa butter), whereas in the US it need only contain 10% non-fat cocoa powder. However, experts caution that these figures are deceptive, as the overall cocoa content in US chocolate, including cocoa butter, is higher.
John Hanson, owner of The British Shoppe in Orlando, Florida, said: 'American chocolate is rubbish. Cadbury's chocolate tastes like chocolate, whereas Hershey's chocolate tastes like wax.' A petition to boycott Hershey's, which holds the US licence for Cadbury, has garnered over 37,000 signatures.
