If you’ve ever discovered a chocolate bar you’d forgotten about or wondered if that open box of chocolates was okay to snack on a few weeks later, you’ve probably asked yourself the question, can chocolate go off? Many packages have best before dates to let us know when the chocolate will be at its best, but the answer to when and if chocolate can go off, is a bit more complicated. It can depend on the type of chocolate, how long you have had it and where it is stored. This question will be explored more below, to see if a solid answer can be concluded.

How Should Chocolate Be Stored?

When it comes to the shelf life of chocolate, how it is stored can play a big part. Dark chocolate will, in most cases, last longer than milk or white chocolates, with dark chocolate being okay for a couple of years in its packaging, and white and milk chocolate for about a year. Once opened, however, this time reduces. For dark chocolate, you are looking at it still being great quality for a year, and milk or white chocolate for around 8-10 months.

At Chocogram we recommend storing your chocolate in a cool, dry place away from heat and sunlight. Here the chocolate will be the optimum environment where it can last a bit longer. Although some people like to keep their chocolate in the fridge, this is not the best place for it. Chocolate doesn’t react well to temperature changes, so the only time it should be stored in the fridge is during extreme weather changes.

How Does Chocolate React To Temperature Change?

Everyone knows that chocolate can melt in hot conditions, but chocolate can also bloom. This is when chocolate develops a white or grey coating over the top of it. Some people mistakenly identify this as a sign that the chocolate has gone off. This, however, isn’t the case, it just means that it has bloomed.

Chocolates can develop blooms when they are in warm or humid environments as a result of the sugar or cocoa butter separating from the chocolate. This doesn’t mean that the chocolate can’t be eaten, it is still completely safe, but it can affect the taste and texture. If your chocolate has bloomed it could be better to use it in baking as it will be melted.

What About The Best Before Date?

Chocolate is going to be at its best before the best before date. After that date, it is still okay to eat, but it comes down to your own subjective opinion. If it looks good, smells okay, and tastes fine, it is most likely okay to eat. If it has started to get discoloured, has mould growing, doesn’t smell or taste right, it is probably better to throw it away to be on the safe side. The higher the milk content in your chocolate, the quicker it tends to go off, that means white chocolates and milk chocolates won’t last as long as dark chocolates.

If your chocolates have a used by date, it should be taken a bit more seriously. It could have extra ingredients in it such as ganache, fruit or nuts that will affect how long the chocolate will last for. In conclusion, although chocolate can be okay to eat for a long time, it won’t last forever. The quality of the chocolate will also deteriorate the longer that you leave it. So where possible, don’t leave your chocolate lying around for too long, but if you do make sure that it is stored in a cool, dry area!