Hi, I’m Fenton and I’m a chocoholic. Especially as Easter nears. Cadbury’s creme eggs fly off the shelves and into my gob. And I’m not the only one. According to Cadbury’s website, over 200 million are sold annually – three for every person in the UK. I’m already through my first dozen or so. And according to the Times, we might be in for the same kind of shock with chocolate that we’ve been having with oil.

With chocolate consumption increasing at a rate of 25 per cent a year in the Asia-Pacific region, and 30 per cent in China, chocolate makers fear that coco- bean growers will not be able to keep up with demand. The unstoppable growth of China has aroused fears of future conflicts over natural resources such as oil, gas and water. Now a new and unforeseen catastrophe presents itself: global chocolate wars.

In other words, Choc Horror! But wait! There’s more!

Japan’s peak chocolate season is Valentine’s Day, when women give chocolate to boyfriends, husbands and male colleagues. But the confectioners have also been shrewd enough to establish a second sweetie festival White Day, when men reciprocate with white chocolate, white cakes or white marshmallows.

Today is White Day!

– Fenton Bailey