As the shortage continues, experts say chocolate bars will get smaller and less tasty. Farmers have been producing a new strain of cacao, the seed from which cocoa is made, called CCN-51. This strain is resistant to witches’ broom and produces about seven times more cocoa beans than typical cocoa strains, but its taste is less flavorful. Manufacturers will also add ingredients such as vanilla and vegetable fat to chocolate so that they can use less cocoa, and chocolate bars will contain more fillers like nuts and raisins.
At the same time, the price of chocolate has been increasing. Cocoa prices have risen by more than 60 percent since 2012.