Europe Has More Chocolate Than It Knows What to Do With

Just where is a continent to turn when it happens to have a crippling surplus of chocolate and little-to-no interest in actually eating any of the stuff?

That's the question all of Europe will soon be asking itself after waking up one day to suddenly find that a confluence of factors has caused the continent to be positively lousy with chocolatey delights.

Just a few days ago, prominent Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli released a financial report, which stated that key markets in Switzerland and the rest of Europe are "largely saturated" with chocolate.

Even worse still, it seems as if nobody actually wants to eat any of that lovely surplus chocolate. The report found that the surplus was only exacerbated by "the continuing trend for Swiss consumers to shop in neighboring Europe." The trend to look elsewhere in the quest for cheap chocolate is partially thanks to discounters that continually push European retailers to lower chocolate prices.

The news of a growing surplus comes at a time when countless chocolatiers are desperately struggling to cope with an uncertain commodities market and rising prices for cocoa and cocoa butter. The turbulent market and pricey raw materials are a result of rising temperatures adversely affecting growing conditions and crop yields in West Africa.

Until this is all sorted out Europe better be ready to take note from Cathy, because the entire continent could very well be blanketed with incessant cries of "Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! Aack!"