It’s not your imagination: The grocery-store chocolate you used to enjoy – Cadbury Mini Eggs, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, Oh Henry! – tastes different these days. Waxier. Flatter. Cloyingly sweet. That’s because producers are turning to cheaper formulas as the price of cocoa soars. Now, ingredients such as palm oil are taking over to such an extent that many products can’t legally call themselves chocolate anymore. (That’s why you’ll see descriptions like ‘chocolatey coating’ or ‘candy’.)

Alas, some people are fighting the good fight. The Globe caught up with some Canadian craft chocolate makers who are standing out from the crowd by sticking to quality, including using only premium cocoa beans. Yes, higher prices mean they have to get creative (for instance, some are adding nuts, dried fruit and caramel to their bars to cut back on the amount of chocolate.) Overall, though, they’ve had an easier time than their big-business counterparts when it comes to responding to supply issues. Read more.

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