# Are Godiva Chocolates sold in America made in Belgium? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457 "2019-02-13T11:28:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/21 "2019-02-14T09:37:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The lawsuit is preposterous maybe…and that’s why the British voted for Brexit. Sometimes people take stuffvery seriously. > [@](#): > > Belgian chocolate…a term of art…concheing…enrobing,moulding,truffling What about the famous [crunchy frog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KwKcHyUXyA) ? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/22 "2019-02-14T16:20:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is there anything on the box saying they are made in Reading, Pennsylvania? > [@Skywatcher](#): > > I don’t know about the boxes, but the images of chocolate bar wrappers I’ve found all have a NYC address. Presumably their world headquarters mentioned above. I have a Godiva “Nut Lovers Truffle Flight” in front of me. It does not say “Belgian chocolate” anywhere on the box. What it does say is Godiva in large letters. Under that in italics and smaller it says “Belgium 1926.” There is nothing on the box indicating where the factory is. On the back it has the New York City address of the headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/23 "2019-02-14T22:46:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > See, I’ve never heard or regarded “Belgian chocolate” as a term of art, like French fries or Greek salad. It’s more like “French wine,” which, I would assume, means wine from France. I’ve never parsed “Belgian chocolate” as a moniker for a certain style of chocolates but rather simply as “chocolate from Belgium.” Same with a Swiss watch or a Swiss chocolate, for that matter–I expect those to be from Switzerland. > > On the other hand, if it is a Belgian company making it abroad, then it’s a bit fuzzy. I could go either way there. I don’t eat Belgium Chocolate. I would be surprised but pleased if somebody gave me some “Belgium Chocolate” that didn’t taste or feel like belgium chocolate, because that’s a style of chocolate I don’t like. In Aus, I would expect any locally produced chocolate that claimed to be “Belgium” would boast about any Australian content, and would be made from imported chocolate from Belgium – because local production costs are high here. I wouldn’t assume anything about the source of Dutch Cocoa or a French Slice. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/24 "2019-02-15T15:00:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I figured that, because box mentions that it is a Belgium company and that it contains Belgium chocolates, I am purchasing a product of Belgium[but a recent class action lawsuit](https://www.truthinadvertising.org/godivas-belgian-chocolates/) claims that the chocolates sold in the U.S. come from a factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. This leads me to believe that the chocolates made here must taste different because the ingredients and food regulations can’t be the same. > Anyone have info on this? > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I was a kid, my father would return from overseas trips with big Toblerone bars, which he bought in places like the duty-free shops in Frankfurt Airport. Now you can buy Toblerone bars in places like Target. It used to be that there were certain things available only in their country of origin (or even only in their city of origin) and they represented a special gift when someone brought them back to you. Now, pretty much everything is available everywhere, any time, and while that’s good for many reasons, the specialness is gone. We lived in the Netherlands for 3 years in the early 80’s. It took about 5 minutes (IIRC) to get to the Lady Godiva outlet. Toblerone was a special treat even then. Now many European food and beverage products are available in the US, and they _are **not** the same thing_. I learned to drink beer there, being close to the Grolsch brewery. I won’t touch any beer in America. European-style chocolates are still better than American, but they just aren’t as good at the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/25 "2019-02-15T15:11:51Z")
Of course, the chocolate had to come from somewhere else before Belgium, anyway, since cocoa beans don’t grow in Europe. And as an aside, I’ve heard that Guinness has two breweries in North America, on in Canada, to serve the US market, and one in the US, to serve the Canadian market. That way, it can still be labeled as “imported”. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/26 "2019-02-15T15:25:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Burger King and Wendy’s have “french fries” on the menu but, like I said, they are still made in full view of the customer. What about a German Chocolate Cake. They’re sold everywhere from grocery stores to Wal-Marts. I’ve never seen one made in front of me. I’ve thought they were shipped straight from Germany this whole time. I think I should sue. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/27 "2019-02-15T15:47:41Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > What about a German Chocolate Cake. They’re sold everywhere from grocery stores to Wal-Marts. I’ve never seen one made in front of me. I’ve thought they were shipped straight from Germany this whole time. I think I should sue. And don’t even get me started on Mars Bars… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/28 "2019-02-15T17:31:31Z")
German chocolate cake is an oddity, in that it wasn’t named after a place at all (not even incorrectly, like French fries). The guy who first made it was an American named German. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/29 "2019-02-15T17:33:07Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > What about a German Chocolate Cake. They’re sold everywhere from grocery stores to Wal-Marts. I’ve never seen one made in front of me. I’ve thought they were shipped straight from Germany this whole time. I think I should sue. But German chocolate cake is definitely a term of art (and named after some guy with the surname “German.”) What makes Belgian chocolate “Belgian,” other than the fact that they are from Belgium? Maybe I don’t eat enough chocolate, but to me, there’s nothing that really distinguishes it from me other than place of origin. Like if you got something called “French wine” and it was made in the US using cabernet sauvignon grapes, wouldn’t you think that’s a bit odd to call it “French”? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/30 "2019-02-15T17:40:03Z")
Are all bottles labeled [Canadian Whisky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_whisky) made in Canada? I know at some are bottled in the US even though they are distilled and aged in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/31 "2019-02-15T18:14:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I figured that, because box mentions that it is a Belgium company and that it contains Belgium chocolates, I am purchasing a product of Belgium[but a recent class action lawsuit](https://www.truthinadvertising.org/godivas-belgian-chocolates/) claims that the chocolates sold in the U.S. come from a factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. This leads me to believe that the chocolates made here must taste different because the ingredients and food regulations can’t be the same. > Anyone have info on this? There is a US Customs ruling about how to place Godiva chocolates for import so at least some of the candy is imported. of course it doesn’t specify where from. there are a few other classifications requests from Godiva for choclates out of Belgium. “The subject merchandise is described as a box of 36, 1½ inch square, pieces of demitasse chocolates. The box is non-reusable, composed of paperboard and plastic with a clear front that will hold the chocolates in 12 partitioned spaces. The words “Origins of the World”, the “Godiva” name and logo are printed on the clear plastic top to the left of the box. The chocolates are individually foiled wrapped, printed with the names of the three different types of chocolate and the percentages of cocoa they contain. The three flavors are: “Arriba” containing 50 percent cocoa, “Papua New Guinea” containing 70 percent cocoa and “Sao Tome” containing 72 percent cocoa. The demitasse chocolates main ingredients are said to consist of: chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, butter oil, milk, soya lecithin, vanilla and no milk solids.” ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457/32 "2019-02-21T22:40:41Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Are all bottles labeled [Canadian Whisky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_whisky) made in Canada? I know at some are bottled in the US even though they are distilled and aged in Canada. For that matter, there are connoisseurs and aficionados who will distinguish between whisky, whiskey, and scotch – plus apparently Japanese made “scotch” is becoming something of a fad lately? Speaking of Japan, when I was there, the popular chocolates were German and Swiss style. After eating Meiji chocolate almonds and other Japanese chocolate products, I realized how bad American chocolates are and started assuming Belgian or Swiss or German -style referred to different relatively-local recipes – more or less vanilla, such a % of cacao, etc. But Emperor Meiji sent people out all over the world to bring back samples of cultural artifacts, then they compared and chose what they considered the best of the best to emulate. Maybe attributing a characteristic style to its assumed source-country is just a Japanese thing – Swiss chocolate, British Naval tactics, et cetera. –G! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-godiva-chocolates-sold-in-america-made-in-belgium/829457.md?page=1)