🔅 Cocoa Chaos: The Death of Europe’s Sweetest Traditions
A Chronic Disease Crisis
Good morning from… Can you guess where in Africa this is? (Answer at the bottom!)
Cocoa Chaos: Pricier Chocolate and the Death of Europe’s Sweetest Traditions
An 18th-century chocolate shop in Paris outlasting revolutions sounds unstoppable—until a ruthless cocoa shortage sends prices through the roof, and their centuries-old candy formulas start looking like the next big casualty.
Welcome to the meltdown.
Ala Mère de Famille opened in 1761, surviving wars and that minor incident called the French Revolution, only to be threatened by cocoa beans at record highs. The four Dolfi siblings who run the shop these days face a dilemma: raise candy prices enough to stay afloat (and risk scaring off customers) or keep prices manageable (and risk going broke). “We’re walking on eggshells,” the family laments.
It’s not just them: More than a dozen storied chocolatiers across Europe have closed in the last year, all thanks to wild cocoa markets. Bad weather in West Africa—source of 80% of the world’s cocoa—plus raging diseases in cacao groves have triggered a four-year supply crunch. Result: cocoa prices soared to nearly triple, at times hitting about $13,000 a ton. That’s forced chocolate big shots like Hershey and Lindt to push costs onto shoppers or swap out cocoa butter for cheap fillers (yes, your beloved chocolate bar might be less “chocolatey” going forward).
But small, family-owned chocolatiers? They can’t just slip in extra wafers and call it a day. Some, like Austrian maker Salzburg Schokolade, have folded after a century in business. Leysieffer in Germany—gone. Others, from Belgium to Paris, are scrambling for new cocoa sources, rummaging in lesser-known spots in Latin America or Africa's corners beyond Ivory Coast and Ghana. And they're also crossing their fingers that consumers won’t go, “Nope, too pricey!” and grab mass-market bars instead.
Even Europe's unstoppable sweet tooth is showing signs of toothache. Cocoa grinds, which measure how many beans are actually turning into chocolate, plunged in Europe last year—lowest since 2020. That signals fewer people are munching chocolate at these sky-high prices. The data suggests chocolate might be heading toward "luxury" territory, out of reach for that casual guilt-free snack.
So if you see a price tag that makes you gasp, especially during the festive seasons, just remember: your choice could help an old shop keep its doors open… or become yet another quaint footnote in Europe’s chocolate history. Bon appétit.
Africa’s Healthcare on the Brink? Top Doctor Warns of Looming “Collapse” from Chronic Diseases
Sub-Saharan Africa’s health systems could face a full-scale meltdown in the next few years if the continent continues to neglect chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart conditions.
That stark warning comes from Dr Githinji Gitahi, group CEO of Amref Health Africa, who points to a devastating mismatch in foreign aid priorities. For decades, global donors have channeled money into combating infectious diseases—like TB, HIV, and malaria—while chronic “non-communicable” diseases (NCDs) have spiraled silently. Already, NCDs constitute 37% of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, up from 24% in 2000. By 2030, they’re forecast to be the region’s leading cause of death, spurred by diets loaded with processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, and widespread air pollution.
Gitahi, a Kenyan public-health leader, holds multinational corporations partly to blame for peddling high-sugar, high-fat products, especially without robust government regulations to temper their marketing. But he also insists African governments share fault: “Politicians think about the next election while this issue is about the next generation.” Aid flows to Africa, he explains, often center on infectious diseases that donors fear might hop borders; chronic ailments like hypertension or diabetes, which can’t be “caught” on a plane, languish low on the global agenda.
As a result, less than 3% of development spending on health goes to NCDs. That’s a fatal mismatch, Gitahi warns, leaving many Africans to pay out of pocket for expensive treatments. Indeed, African governments, strapped for cash, are hesitant to shoulder the full burden on NCD care. “Africa can’t raise enough money from its fiscal space to take care of all social services,” Gitahi notes, calling for “solidarity” from the world.
His proposed fixes blend realism with ambition: Gitahi urges African countries to embrace “sin taxes” on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary foods, use the proceeds for health, and copy established policies—like curbs on junk-food ads for children—from wealthier nations.
Uganda Sends Troops to Shore Up Salva Kiir as South Sudan Tensions Rise
Uganda has quietly deployed its soldiers into South Sudan, throwing its weight behind President Salva Kiir’s fragile administration at a moment when persistent clashes with rivals threaten to renew civil war in Africa’s youngest nation.
“We dispatched a force two days ago,” said Maj. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, spokesperson for the Ugandan army. “We’re there to support the government of South Sudan—not for peacekeeping.”
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda is acting in his capacity as a guarantor of the uneasy peace arrangement that keeps Kiir and his longtime rival, Vice President Riek Machar, locked together in a national unity government. The pair have long had an on-off relationship marked by allegations of power-grabbing and repeated accusations of broken promises.
Uganda to the Rescue—Again: This is not the first time Museveni has stepped in to back Kiir. Since South Sudan’s independence in 2011, the oil-rich but conflict-ridden country has cycled through high-stakes showdowns between troops loyal to Kiir and those aligned with Machar. Uganda often intervenes to help Kiir maintain control, citing security concerns or its role as a regional peace sponsor.
Yet the fresh troop deployment is the starkest sign in months that South Sudan’s precarious calm may be unraveling.
Conflict in the North: In the country’s Upper Nile state, violent confrontations between government forces and a militia widely believed to be sympathetic to Machar’s camp have heightened hostilities. Last week, a United Nations helicopter evacuating government troops from the town of Nasir was fired upon, resulting in the death of a South Sudanese general. That incident followed a rebel takeover of the military garrison in Nasir—and a subsequent siege of Machar’s home in Juba by government troops, who also arrested several key Machar allies, including a deputy army chief.
Civil war first broke out in late 2013, after political wrangling between Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, an ethnic Nuer, split the country along tribal lines. The resulting five-year conflict claimed more than 400,000 lives. Eventually, with strong international pressure—and a military assist from Uganda—Kiir retained control in Juba, and Machar fled.
In 2018, both men signed a peace deal, which eventually welcomed Machar back to Juba as first vice president. However, a lingering distrust and repeated ceasefire breaches persist. The government’s repeated postponement of elections and its failure to unify army commands have stalled progress. Now, with elections scheduled for 2026, many question whether the battered state can bridge its many fault lines in time.
Food for Thought
“Prepare now for the solution of tomorrow’s problem.”
— DRC Proverb
And the Answer is…
The photo is from Eritrea! Did you guess right?
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