Chocolate Trends in the US

For those of you who like those tid bits of trivia, here is a whole list of things "CHOCOLATE."

• Chocolate is America's favorite flavor. Surveys show more than 50 percent of adults prefer chocolate to other flavors.
• More than $16 billion of chocolate was sold in the U.S. last year.
• U.S. consumers eat 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate annually, representing nearly half of the world's supply.
• Americans prefer milk chocolate by a wide margin, but dark chocolate has a growing fan base, perhaps due to its suggested health benefits.
• Men and women purchase chocolate in equal amounts. (But, since men do most of the gift-giving, women probably come out ahead!)
• According to a study at Colorado State University, chocolate is the most commonly craved food in North America. 40% of American women and 15% of American men are "chocoholics."
• More chocolate is consumed in the winter than any other season.
• 66% of chocolate is consumed between meals.
• 22% of all chocolate consumption takes place between 8pm and midnight.
• Half of Americans choose what chocolate they eat by the shape of the piece.
• 63% of Americans say they can't resist buying chocolate for themselves when buying chocolate for someone else.
• Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40% of the world's almonds and 20% of the world's peanuts.
• U.S. chocolate manufacturers use about 3.5 million pounds of whole milk every day to make chocolate.