Government regulates definitions of cocoa-derived products and establishes a minimum percentage in chocolate.

The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sanctioned Law No. 15,404, which provides for the definitions and characteristics of cocoa-derived products, the minimum percentage of cocoa in chocolates and the information on the total percentage of cocoa on the labels of these products, both national and imported, marketed in the national territory. The law was published in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) this Monday (11). The new legislation defines the technical characteristics of cocoa-derived products, such as cocoa nibs, cocoa mass, paste or liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, soluble cocoa, chocolate powder and chocolate. According to the Law, cocoa nibs are defined as the clean cotyledons of the cocoa bean. Cocoa mass, paste or liquor corresponds to the product obtained from the transformation of clean and peeled beans. Cocoa butter is characterized as the lipid fraction extracted from cocoa mass. Cocoa powder is now defined as the product obtained by pulverizing the solid mass resulting from pressing cocoa mass, containing at least 10% cocoa butter in relation to dry matter and a maximum of 9% moisture. The legislation also establishes that soluble cocoa is the product obtained from cocoa powder with added ingredients that promote solubility in liquids. Chocolate powder must contain at least 32% total cocoa solids. To be classified as chocolate, the product must contain at least 35% total cocoa solids, with at least 18% cocoa butter and 14% fat-free solids. The use of other authorized vegetable fats is limited to 5% of the total product. The regulation also includes specific definitions for milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate-flavored chocolate, chocolate bonbons or filled chocolate, and sweet chocolate. Another point stipulated in the Law is the obligation to state, on labels, the total percentage of cocoa present in the composition of the products defined by the regulation. Products that do not meet the established definitions must have a specific sales name and may not use images, expressions, colors, or graphic elements that mislead the consumer as to the nature of the product, especially regarding its identification as chocolate. The Law comes into effect 360 days after the date of official publication. 

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.