Standards play an important role in ensuring safe confectionery. One of the standards that helps to provide safe, quality and delicious chocolates is the European Standard EN 15634-3:2023, which has been adopted at the national level as the Albanian Standard (SSH EN 15634-3:2023), and specifies the content of hazelnuts in chocolates. The purpose of this standard is to help food manufacturers and laboratories identify whether chocolate products contain hazelnuts, using a technique called PCR, which identifies hazelnut-specific DNA. This standard is very important for food safety, especially for individuals with hazelnut allergies.
Another important standard is EN ISO 23275-1:2008, which has also been adopted at the national level as the Albanian Standard (SSH EN ISO 23275-1:2008) and provides guidance for the identification of cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) in cocoa butter and plain chocolate. These special vegetable fats called CBE are sometimes added to chocolate to replace cocoa butter. They are very similar to cocoa butter in composition and physical properties, so they are difficult to distinguish. However, there are specific rules in the EU on what type and in what quantity CBE can be used in chocolate, so it is important to be able to identify and measure them.
Another important issue that raises many questions and concerns is the production of quality and safe cocoa and chocolate. The EN ISO 34101-1:2020/A1:2024 standard ensures that the cocoa used in chocolate is of high quality and safe. This standard has been designed to help cocoa organizations and producers ensure that the cocoa farm is ecological, socially and economically responsible, while also being transparent and traceable through the supply chain, so that everyone can enjoy delicious chocolate.
The standards also ensure that vegetarians and vegans can consume chocolate by reading the label, which informs consumers about the ingredients of a product. The European Standard EN ISO 23662:2024, adopted at the national level as the Albanian Standard (SSH EN ISO 23662:2024), helps consumers find a dairy- and egg-free vegetarian and vegan chocolate on the market, so that no one is left without enjoying chocolate.
When it comes to food, what’s inside the packaging is not the only thing that matters. Proper and hygienic packaging ensures that the food you consume is safe and uncontaminated. The EN 15593:2008 standard ensures that food packaging manufacturers and suppliers follow specific hygiene management requirements to ensure that food is clean and safe for consumption.
Food safety and authenticity are key to ensuring that we are enjoying a quality and delicious product. The EN 17972:2024 standard provides a method for understanding and describing the authenticity of food products and has a basic terminology that will serve for all future standards in the food industry.
From allergen detection to promoting quality packaging, standards enable chocolate to be safe, quality and delicious.
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