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{{Short description|Solid chocolate containing added milk}}
{{distinguish|Chocolate milk}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Milk chocolate
| image_alt = A bar of [[Milka]]-brand milk chocolate
| image = File:Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate bar 100g with chunks broken off.jpg
| image_size = 280
| caption = A [[Milka]] chocolate bar, 30% cocoa.
| type = Confectionery
| country = Switzerland
| creator = [[Daniel Peter]]
| year = 1875
| main_ingredient = {{plainlist}}
* [[Cocoa butter]]
* [[Cocoa solids|Cocoa mass]]
* Milk
* Sugar
{{endplainlist}}
| no_recipes = false
}}

'''Milk chocolate''' is a form of solid [[chocolate]] containing [[Chocolate liquor|cocoa]], sugar and milk. It is the most consumed [[types of chocolate|type of chocolate]], and is used in a wide diversity of [[chocolate bar|bars, tablets]] and other confectionery products. Milk chocolate contains smaller amounts of cocoa solids than [[dark chocolate]]s do, and (as with [[white chocolate]]) contains [[milk solids]]. While its taste (akin to [[chocolate milk]]) has been key to its popularity, milk chocolate was historically promoted as a healthy food, particularly for children.

Major milk chocolate producers include [[Ferrero SpA|Ferrero]], [[The Hershey Company|Hershey]], [[Mondelez International|Mondelez]], [[Mars, Incorporated|Mars]] and [[Nestlé]]; collectively these supply over half of the world's chocolate. Four-fifths of all milk chocolate is sold in the United States and Europe, and increasing amounts are consumed in both China and Latin America.

Chocolate was originally sold and consumed as a beverage in pre-Columbian times, and upon its introduction to Western Europe. The word ''chocolate'' arrived in the English language about 1600, but initially described dark chocolate. The first use of the term "milk chocolate" was for a beverage brought to London from Jamaica in 1687, but it was not until the Swiss inventor [[Daniel Peter]] successfully combined cocoa and [[condensed milk]] in 1875 that the milk chocolate bar was invented. Switzerland developed as the centre of milk chocolate production, particularly after the development of the [[conche]] by [[Rodolphe Lindt]], and was increasingly exporting to an international market. Milk chocolate became mainstream at the beginning of the twentieth century following the launch of [[Milka]], [[Cadbury Dairy Milk]] and the [[Hershey bar]], inducing a dramatic increase in world cocoa consumption.

To provide ethical assurances on cocoa harvesting for consumers, [[Fair trade certification|Fair Trade]] and [[UTZ Certified]] chocolate was established in the 21st century.

==History==
{{See also|History of chocolate}}
The word "chocolate" was first used in English in 1604.<ref>{{Cite OED|term=chocolate|id=4410701122|access-date=July 16, 2024}}</ref> The first instance of "milk chocolate" appeared soon after, referring to a [[Chocolate milk|drink of chocolate combined with milk]]. In 1687, [[Hans Sloane]], an Irish physician and collector, introduced the beverage to London after seeing the people of [[Jamaica]] enjoying the drink.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=84}} The preparation was promoted for its medicinal properties, and was manufactured by Nicholas Sanders and William White, and was joined by other milk chocolates around the city.{{sfn|Coe|Coe|2019|page=136}} From there, milk chocolate spread, first to France, where the pharmacist to [[Louis XVI]], [[Debauve & Gallais|Sulpice Debauve]], introduced the drink to the Court, and then further afield, reaching as far as the United States by 1834.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=85}} 

Early attempts to make eating milk chocolate were foiled by the substantial water content of milk which did not willingly mix with cocoa butter (a fat); efforts at combining the two produced chocolates that were an "oily and milky mess".<ref>{{cite book |last=Allen |first=Lawrence L |title=Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China's Consumers |publisher=[[Amacom]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8144-1432-3 |page=227}}</ref> In [[Dresden]] in the [[German Confederation]], [[Jordan & Timaeus]] were developing a mechanism to produce hard chocolate using steam power. On 23 May 1839, they advertised a solid chocolate containing fresh milk, calling it "steam chocolate" ({{lang|de|dampfchocolade}}).{{sfn|Fabian|Möge|Wünsche|2006|page=199}} However, that version of milk chocolate did not become successful and when major companies like [[J. S. Fry & Sons|Fry's]] of [[Bristol]] and [[Lindt]] of [[Zürich]] started producing eating chocolate in the 1840s, they only made dark chocolate.{{sfn|Goldstein|2015|page=157}}<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GumzAAAAIAAJ | title=150 years of delight: Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG 1845–1995 | publisher=Chocoladefabriken | year=1995 | page=88}}</ref>

[[File:Daniel Peter.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|[[Daniel Peter]], Swiss chocolatier who combined chocolate and milk|alt=A portrait photograph of Daniel Peter]]
In 1875, the Swiss entrepreneur and [[chocolatier]] [[Daniel Peter]], based in [[Vevey]] and related to the [[Cailler]] family, first successfully combined [[cocoa solids|cocoa mass]], [[cocoa butter]], and sugar with [[condensed milk]] (recently created by his neighbour and friend [[Henri Nestlé]]) to produce solidified milk chocolate.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=97–98}} However, this was not meant to be eaten, but it was meant to be used for chocolate milk drinks; milk chocolate as we know it today was only created a decade later.<ref>{{cite conference | url=https://www.google.ch/books/edition/Il_cioccolato/I-GzAAAAIAAJ | title=Il cioccolato: industria, mercato e società in Italia e Svizzera, XVIII-XX sec | publisher=[[FrancoAngeli]] | accessdate=22 December 2024 | author=Chiapparino, Francesco | year=2007 | pages=81 | quote=Daniel Peter démarre en 1875 des essais pour la fabrication d'un chocolat au lait à boire. En 1880, il commercialise son produit sous la forme de poudre ou de poudre compactée. En 1883, il arrive à un produit qu'il vend sous forme de pâte. Ce n'est qu'entre 1886 et 1891 qu'il crée le chocolat en croquettes ou tablettes à manger à la main. Le chocolat à boire occupe donc Peter au moins jusqu'en 1887. Ce n'est qu'ensuite que le chocolat à croquer, qui est la découverte, apparaît. | trans-quote=In 1875, Daniel Peter began testing the production of drinking milk chocolate. In 1880, he marketed his product in the form of powder or compacted powder. In 1883, he arrived at a product that he sold in the form of paste. It was not until 1886 and 1891 that he created chocolate in the form of croquettes or bars to be eaten raw. Drinking chocolate therefore occupied Peter at least until 1887. It was only later that eating chocolate, which was the discovery, appeared.}}</ref> In 1887, the first eating milk chocolate brand, [[Peter's Chocolate|Gala Peter]], was finally launched. Daniel Peter called his product 'Gala' after the Greek word meaning 'milk'.{{sfn|Sloane|2016|ps=:"In 1887, after many unsuccessful experiments, Daniel Peter developed the original formula for what was to become the first successful milk chocolate in the world. He called his product Gala after the Greek word meaning 'from the milk'"}} Milk chocolate also benefited from another recent Swiss invention, [[Rodolphe Lindt]]'s [[conche]], which allowed the creation of a smoother chocolate.{{sfn|Beckett|2015|page=4}}

Not only did milk soften the [[Taste#Bitterness|bitterness]] of chocolate and refined its taste, but it also lowered its production cost due to a lower cocoa content.<ref name=Milka/> As a consequence, Peter's recipe leaked to other nearby manufacturers: Cailler and [[Chocolat Kohler|Kohler]].<ref name=FAO>{{cite news | language=French | url=https://www.faovd.ch/actualite/556/l-inventeur-oublie-du-chocolat-au-lait/ | title=L'inventeur oublié du chocolat au lait | trans-title=The forgotten inventor of milk chocolate| work=Feuille des Avis Officiels du canton de Vaud | date=26 March 2021 | agency=[[Canton of Vaud]] | access-date=22 May 2022}}</ref> In 1898, Cailler opened its new factory at [[Broc]], where milk chocolate began to be produced on a large scale.{{sfn|Chrystal|2021|page=146|ps=:"In 1898, Alexandre-Louis Cailler opened a new factory in Broc and began producing milk and hazelnut chocolate on a large scale."}} Peter also opened a larger factory at [[Orbe]] in 1901, before merging with Kohler.<ref name=FAO/> The same year, [[Chocolat Suchard|Suchard]] of [[Neuchâtel]] launched the [[Milka]] brand; Carl Russ-Suchard had previously developed a first milk bar in 1896.<ref name=Milka>{{cite journal | url=https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/pdf/10.1484/J.FOOD.1.102219 | title=Milka, 1901–1990 : vers un goût international de chocolat | author=Huguenin, Régis | journal=[[Food & History]] | year=2010 | volume=8 | issue=2 | pages=96–97 | doi=10.1484/J.FOOD.1.102219 |language=French| url-access=subscription }}</ref> The [[Swiss chocolate]] industry also expanded in the late nineteenth century with the establishment of new companies, such as [[Chocolat Frey|Frey]] and [[Toblerone|Tobler]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Produit/Schweizer-Schokolade-Chocolat-suisse-Cioccolato-svizzero/194 | title=Chocolat suisse | trans-title=Swiss chocolate | publisher=[[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] | access-date=5 November 2022 |quote=Après des siècles d'évolution, le chocolat tel que nous le connaissons actuellement était enfin né. Avec l’ouverture des usines Frey (Aarau, 1887) et Tobler (Berne, 1899), l’ère des pionniers s’achève. |trans-quote=After centuries of evolution, chocolate as we know it today was finally born. With the opening of the Frey (Aarau, 1887) and Tobler (Berne, 1899) factories, the era of the pioneers came to an end.}}</ref> From these developments, Switzerland soon dominated the chocolate market. Production increased dramatically, and by 1905, the country was producing {{convert|15000|t}} of chocolate, a vast proportion of it exported.{{sfn|Fromm|2019|page=75}}

[[File:Gala Peter.jpg|thumb|1905 ad for [[Peter's Chocolate|Gala Peter]] stating "The world's first milk chocolate"]]
Meanwhile, there were other developments outside Switzerland. Swiss dominance was challenged in 1905 by a product from England, [[Cadbury Dairy Milk]]. Although there had been other milk chocolates produced outside Switzerland before – [[Cadbury]] themselves had produced one in 1897 – they suffered from low sales. In contrast, Dairy Milk quickly rose in prominence and, by the 1920s, was the bestselling chocolate in the UK.{{sfn|Martin|2016|page=44}} Simultaneously, in 1900, [[Milton Hershey]] had introduced the first [[Hershey bar]], which revolutionised the popularity of milk chocolate in the United States. Although initially only available in [[Pennsylvania]], by 1906 it was sold across the country.{{sfn|Goldstein|2015|page=33}} Popularity blossomed, particularly following [[World War I]], when the [[United States Army]] issued chocolate bars to troops, for many their first taste of milk chocolate.{{sfn|Smith|2011|page=131}} By 1911, Peter's milk chocolate recipe represented half of the world's chocolate consumption. Milk chocolate became the standard of what the public thought chocolate should be.<ref name=Collins>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EDFrEAAAQBAJ | title=Chocolate: A Cultural Encyclopedia | publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] | author=Collins, Ross F. | year=2022 |page=310 | isbn=9781440876080 }}</ref>

As a result of the increasing popularity of chocolate, especially among the working and middle-class, cocoa consumption began to grow extraordinarily; global demand grew 800 percent between 1880 and 1900.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yP29DwAAQBAJ | title=Natural Resources and Sustainability | publisher=[[Berkshire Publishing Group]] | author=Vasey, Daniel E. | year=2011 | pages=62 | isbn=9781933782546}}</ref> To meet these demands, cocoa production expanded, notably in West Africa, where the [[Forastero (cocoa bean)|Forastero]] variety began to be mass cultivated in the early twentieth century.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2zOkgssdVIC | title=From Silver to Cocaine: Latin American Commodity Chains and the Building of the World Economy, 1500–2000 | publisher=[[Duke University Press]] | author=Topik, Steven | year=2006 | pages=189–191 | isbn=0822388022}}</ref> Although considered inferior to the Criollo variety, the Forastero type bean is more suited for the manufacture of milk chocolate and is cheaper to produce owing to its higher yields.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YIxwAgAAQBAJ | title=The International Cocoa Trade | publisher=[[Elsevier]] | author=Dand, Robin | year=2010 | pages=261 | isbn=9780857091260}}</ref> Countries in West Africa eventually dominated world production of cocoa.<ref name=Collins/> Conversely, milk became the critical ingredient. Contrary to cocoa and sugar, milk spoils quickly, therefore it cannot be stored for long periods of time. This favored the implantation of large factories (as well as new populations of workers) in the countryside, where abundant fresh milk supplies are readily available.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Book of Chocolate: The Amazing Story of the World's Favorite Candy | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H6L0CwAAQBAJ | publisher=[[Penguin Books]] | author=Newquist, H.P. | year=2017 | page=98 | isbn=9781101635179}}</ref> The Cailler factory of [[Broc]] and the Hershey factory of [[Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania|Derry Township]] are typical examples.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=18NaAAAAYAAJ | title=Candy and Snack Industry: Volume 145, Issues 1–6 | publisher=Magazines for Industry, Incorporated | year=1980 | pages=28–29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AoWlCmNDA3QC | title=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | author=Smith, Andrew F. | year=2007 | pages=279 | isbn=978-0-19-530796-2}}</ref> The popularity of milk chocolate and the wide availability of milk also favoured the creation in the 1930s of a new variety of chocolate containing even more milk: [[white chocolate]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/for-those-who-think-white-chocolate-isnt-real-chocolate-have-we-got-bars-for-you/2017/11/24/24fb1ee8-cbc9-11e7-b0cf-7689a9f2d84e_story.html | title=For those who think white chocolate isn't 'real' chocolate, have we got bars for you | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=27 November 2017 | access-date=26 March 2023 | author=Sethi, Simran}}</ref>

[[File:A suchard on nov 2020 (1).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Since its beginning, milk chocolate has been associated with [[Alps|Alpine scenery]].{{sfn|Hackenesch|2017|page=78 |ps=:"Moreover, the snow-covered Alps visually correspond with the fact that it is milk chocolate that is advertised here"}}{{sfn|Haver|Middleton|2015|page=51}}]]
Over the decades, milk chocolate manufacture spread worldwide and new brands appeared. In 1910, Arthur and George Ensor created the first milk chocolate in Canada, using milk from [[Jersey cows]].{{sfn|Carr|2003|page=24}} At the same time, [[Belgian chocolate]] production also expanded rapidly. From small beginnings in the 1870s, by the 1920s, there were ninety chocolate manufacturers around [[Brussels]] alone.{{sfn|Goldstein|2015|page=306}} In 1926, [[Meiji Holdings|Meiji]] brought out their bar, the first example to be made in Japan.{{sfn|Kusher|2012|page=140}} Milk chocolate swiftly dominated chocolate sales in most markets.{{sfn|Beckett|2015|page=23}} It even found a place during [[World War II]], when US troops carried [[Military chocolate (United States)|D Ration]] chocolate, nicknamed Logan Bars after [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|Quartermaster]] [[Paul Logan (colonel)|Paul Logan]], as an emergency supply.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=119}} At the same time, new ways of presenting chocolate appeared, from different shapes, like [[Cadbury Buttons]], to the profusion of boxed varieties that became a feature of Belgian chocolate.{{sfn|Wohlmuth|2017|page=498}}

At the same time, the number of independent manufacturers declined sharply. The first consolidations in the industry were in Switzerland, where the takeover of Lindt by [[Lindt & Sprüngli|Sprüngli]] took place in 1899, and [[Nestlé]] had already emerged as the largest manufacture in the country by 1929.{{sfn|Fromm|2019|page=74–75}} However, pace quickened in the latter half of the century. During the last three decades of the twentieth century, there were over 200 takeovers in the industry. By 2001, over half the global chocolate market was held by 17 companies. By 2013, the top four manufacturers, [[Mondelez International|Mondelez]], [[Mars, Incorporated|Mars]], Nestlé and [[Ferrero SpA|Ferrero]], comprised 49 percent of the sales.{{sfn|Poelmans|Swinnen|2019|page=32}}

In 2018, the global market for milk chocolate was worth $63.2&nbsp;billion, and is expected to approach $73&nbsp;billion by 2024.{{sfn|IMARC|2018|page=4}} Consumption is dominated by the United States and Europe, which between them consumed over 80 percent of global production. However, the new century saw expansion in different markets. For example, between 2000 and 2013, the areas that saw the highest growth included the Middle East and Africa (where retail value rose 239 percent), Latin America (up 228 percent).{{sfn|Poelmans|Swinnen|2019|page=34}} Even in China and Japan, which traditionally are places of very low milk consumption, milk chocolate sales increased at the start of the twenty-first century. Between 1999 and 2003, Chinese chocolate imports rose from $17.7&nbsp;million to $50&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Mo|Rozelle|Zhang|2019|page=177}} By 2007, over 38 percent of chocolate sales in China were milk chocolate.{{sfn|Li|Mo|2019|page=393}} By 2018, the value of sales by Japanese chocolatier Meiji was approaching that of the top producers in Europe, and the total sales by the group had surpassed the total for all confectionery sales by [[The Hershey Company|Hershey]], putting the American company outside a top five ranking.{{sfn|Fromm|2019|page=76}}

Although dark chocolate regained some popularity in the late twentieth century, milk chocolate remains the most preferred and consumed type of chocolate.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNWBDwAAQBAJ | title=Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] | author1=Chandan, Ramesh C. | author2=Kilara, Arun | year=2011 | pages=501 | isbn=9780813817460}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qaS-DwAAQBAJ | title=Psychology of Eating: From Biology to Culture to Policy | publisher=[[Routledge]] | author1=Splane, Emily | author2=Rowland, Neil | author3=Mitra, Anaya | year=2019 | pages=<!--No page number--> |chapter=Is Chocolate Special? | isbn=9781000725995}}</ref> Some chocolate consumers, who perceive it as saccharine and lacking in chocolate flavor, hold it in poor regard; chocolate maker [[John Scharffenberger]] for instance characterized the cocoa content as only being "food coloring".<ref>{{cite book |last=Lebovitz |first=David |author-link=David Lebovitz |title=The Great Book of Chocolate |publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-60774-239-5 |location=Berkeley, California |page=2}}</ref>

==Nutrition==
{{Infobox nutritional value
| name = Milk chocolate bar
| image = 
| caption = 
| opt1n = [[Theobromine]]
| opt1v = 205 mg
| serving_size = 100 g
| kJ = 2364
| water=1.5 g
| carbs = 50.8 g
| fat = 37.6 g
| protein = 7.65 g
| thiamin_mg = 0.112
| riboflavin_mg = 0.298
| niacin_mg = 0.386
| vitB6_mg = 0.472
| vitB12_ug = 0.75
| folate_ug = 12
| vitE_mg = 0.51
| calcium_mg = 189
| iron_mg = 2.35
| magnesium_mg = 63
| manganese_mg = 0.47
| phosphorus_mg = 208
| potassium_mg = 372
| selenium_ug = 4.5
| zinc_mg = 2.3
| caffeine = 20 mg
| source_usda = 1
| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/167587/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}
Milk chocolate is 51% [[carbohydrate]]s, 38% fat, 8% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and 2% water (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, milk chocolate supplies 565 [[calorie]]s of [[food energy]], and is a rich source (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin B12]] (31% DV), [[riboflavin]] (25% DV), and [[mineral (nutrient)|dietary minerals]], such as [[phosphorus]] (30% DV) (table). Milk chocolate has moderate content (10–19% DV) of [[thiamine]] and several minerals.

==Manufacturing and marketing==
While all milk chocolate contains cocoa, milk and sugar, the proportion of these ingredients varies between countries and brands, which in turn affects its taste. For example, Belgian chocolate is known for its mild milky flavor, while some Russian brands have a strong cocoa taste.{{sfn|Wohlmuth|2017|page=493–494}} Cost is the main reason for the introduction of cocoa butter replacements like [[coconut oil|coconut]] and [[palm oil]]. However, there are also regulatory reasons. In 1973, for example, the European Union decreed that chocolate must have a minimum of 35 percent dry cocoa solids.{{sfn|Meloni|Swinnen|2019|page=287}} China has also introduced legislation to require locally produced milk chocolate to contain 25 percent cocoa butter.{{sfn|Mo|Rozelle|Zhang|2019|page=174}}

Milk chocolate has been presented as a health food since [[Cadbury]] first advertised Sloane's Milk Chocolate for its medicinal properties in the nineteenth century.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=85}} In the 1920s, the [[Baby Ruth]] bar was touted as a health food for children by [[Allan Roy Dafoe]].{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=111}} Advertisements pronounced that chocolate bars combined both a source of essential energy and the "perfectly balanced food" of milk.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=133–134}}

Cocoa butter was claimed to reduce tooth decay.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=135}} Chocolate was claimed to produce calming effects, reducing stress, and producing a similar feeling to falling in love.{{sfn|Wilson|Hurst|2012|page=136–138}}

===Processing===
Milk chocolate is manufactured from cocoa, milk and sugar.  It is the manufacturing process, rather than the raw ingredients, which is most responsible for each brand's flavor.<ref name=":1" />  

The ingredient which defines the product as chocolate, [[cocoa bean]], is mainly grown in Southeast Asia, South America, and West Africa, particularly the [[Ivory Coast]], which supplies 40 percent of the total global cocoa market.{{sfn|Beckett|2015|page=9}} Once the [[cocoa pod]]s are harvested, the seeds, known as "beans", are removed and fermented, then dried. They are then taken to a processing plant where they are cleaned and roasted.{{sfn|Beckett|2017|page=5}} The beans are then ground, usually in a two-stage process, first with an impact mill to liquify the cocoa, and then a ball mill. Milk chocolate usually contains a much larger proportion of [[cocoa butter]] than the one that is naturally present in [[cocoa liquor]]; unlike [[dark chocolate]], a large part of non-fat cocoa solids is going to be replaced by milk solids.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cD-8DwAAQBAJ | title=Handbook of Food Structure Development | publisher=[[Royal Society of Chemistry]] | author=Spyropoulos, Fotis | year=2019 | pages=136| isbn=9781788012164 }}</ref> Therefore, cocoa butter has to be produced in parallel by separating cocoa liquor into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=urs9QCMKOw4C | title=Cocoa | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] | author=Wood, G. A. R. | year=2008 | pages=539 | quote=This cocoa butter has to be obtained by pressing more cocoa liquor, leaving a residual cake.}}</ref>  Milk chocolate has a minimum cacao content of 10% in the US, and has been produced with as much as 70% cacao.<ref name="iht" />

At this stage, the two other key ingredients come into the process:  milk and sugar.  Milk ingredients are complex and critical in delivering the properties and taste to milk chocolate. Milk-origin ([[terroir]]) and associated farming have become an important marketing topic.{{sfn|Beckett|2011|loc=chpt. 4: "Milk-origin and farming and processing practices are becoming factors of increasing interest"}} [[Milk substitute]]s like [[rice milk]] are also used to create lactose-free milk-like chocolate.{{sfn|Byrne|2010}}  Milk is often added in [[Powdered milk|powdered]] form, particularly in German, French, and Belgian milk chocolate,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Beckett |first=Stephen T |date=August 2003 |title=Is the taste of British milk chocolate different? |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1471-0307.2003.00099.x |journal=International Journal of Dairy Technology |language=en |volume=56 |issue=3 |pages=139–142 |doi=10.1046/j.1471-0307.2003.00099.x |issn=1364-727X |via=[[EBSCO Information Services|EBSCO]] in [[Wikipedia:The Wikipedia Library|The Wikipedia Library]]}}</ref> as excess water would damage the flowing properties of the liquid chocolate.{{sfn|Beckett|2015|page=23}} [[Spray drying|Spray dried]] full-fat milk powder is normally used, but alternatives include [[anhydrous]] full fat or skimmed milk powders,{{sfn|Wohlmuth|2017|page=494}} and the choice affects the overall flavor.<ref name=":1" />  Condensed milk is preferred by some manufacturers, particularly where milk production is seasonal.{{sfn|Beckett|2015|page=2}}  In most of Europe, milk chocolate must contain at least 3.5% milkfat.<ref name=":1" /> 

Sugar, the last major ingredient, is added at the same time as the milk powder, either in a roll refiner or conche. Sugar is an international commodity, with production of [[sugar cane]] led by Brazil, India, Thailand, China and Australia.{{sfn|Goldstein|2015|page=698}} [[Sugar beet]] is also used.{{sfn|Wohlmuth|2017|page=494}} Sometimes the milk and sugar are mixed separately before being added to the liquid cocoa mass and cocoa butter.{{sfn|Beckett|2017|page=6}}  About 45 to 50% of most milk chocolate is sugar, by weight.<ref name=":1" />  

The liquid chocolate is then poured into moulds and formed into bars or any other shape.{{sfn|Beckett|2017|page=4}}

====Chocolate crumb====
This is the original method developed by Daniel Peter to make milk chocolate. It consists of mixing cocoa liquor with sweetened condensed milk and drying it into a hard, dry, brittle powder resembling bread crumbs.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvEjDgAAQBAJ | title=Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] | author=Beckett, Steve T. | year=2017 | pages=135 | quote=Daniel Peter found that by drying his dark chocolate paste with Nestlé's sweetened condensed milk he could achieve his aim. In the process he developed the first crumb-based milk chocolate.}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The powder is then refined with the additional cocoa butter.

British milk chocolate derives its characteristic, slightly cooked flavor by using a dehydrated blend of milk, sugar, and cocoa called '''chocolate crumb'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Greenwood |first=Veronique |date=24 December 2023 |title=Why British chocolate tastes the way it does |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231221-why-british-chocolate-tastes-the-way-it-does |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=BBC}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Originally developed because milk production was high during the summer but chocolate demand was highest during the Christmas shopping season,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> the cocoa and sugar preserve the milk fats better than full-cream milk powder.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Ziegler |first=Gregory A |title=Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences |last2=Beckett |first2=Stephen T |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-12-818767-8 |editor-last=McSweeney |editor-first=Paul LH |edition=3rd |page=515 |chapter=Milk chocolate |editor-last2=McNamara |editor-first2=John P}}</ref> The process of making chocolate crumb usually produces a [[Maillard reaction]], resulting in a subtle "cooked", caramel flavor.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

====The Hershey process====
The actual Hershey process is a [[trade secret]], but experts speculate that the milk is partially [[lipolysis|lipolyzed]], producing [[butyric acid]], and then the milk is pasteurized, stabilizing it for use.<ref name="iht">{{cite news |last=Moskin |first=Julia |date=13 February 2008 |title=Dark may be king, but milk chocolate makes a move |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/dining/13chocolate.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514172804/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/dining/13chocolate.html |archive-date=14 May 2016 |access-date=1 January 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |df=dmy-all}}</ref>  The resulting milk chocolate has been described by experts as "tangy", "sour", and "acidified".<ref name="iht" />

=== National preferences ===
Milk chocolate developed in different places, using different processes and locally available technology, and the end result is that milk chocolate produced in different countries has different characteristic flavor profiles.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />  For example, British milk chocolate tastes slightly cooked or baked, American milk chocolate tastes more acidic, Swiss milk chocolate has a fresh milk flavor, and Belgian milk chocolate has more cocoa flavor and less milk flavor than the Swiss milk chocolate.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />  This is primarily due to the different approaches to preparing and incorporating milk into the chocolate.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> 

No matter what the flavor is, consumers prefer the style that they are accustomed to and dislike less familiar flavors.<ref name=":1" />  Multinational chocolate producers adapt their products to the style preferred locally.  When that hasn't been done, the product generally sells poorly.  For example, the Hershey process gives that brand's milk chocolate a particular taste, which is common and expected in the US, so some rival manufacturers now add butyric acid to their milk chocolates.<ref name="iht" />  Cadbury's attempted to introduce their [[Cadbury Dairy Milk]] recipe, using the chocolate crumb process, to the former [[East Germany]], which was accustomed to the flavor profile of milk chocolate made from powdered milk, and to the US, which was accustomed to the flavor profile of milk chocolate made through the Hershey's process, and in both cases the unfamiliar flavor proved less popular than they expected.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Danovich |first=Tove |date=2022-01-21 |title=America's chocolate tastes weird to the rest of the world, but most of us don't even notice |url=https://themessenger.com/grid/americas-chocolate-tastes-weird-to-the-rest-of-the-world-but-most-of-us-dont-even-notice |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=The Messenger |language=en |archive-date=2024-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108163557/https://themessenger.com/grid/americas-chocolate-tastes-weird-to-the-rest-of-the-world-but-most-of-us-dont-even-notice |url-status=dead }}</ref>  <gallery mode="packed" heights="100">
File:Hershey-bar-open.JPG|A [[Hershey bar]]|alt=An open Hershey bar
File:Toblerone-Split.jpg|A [[Toblerone]] bar|alt=An open Toblerone bar
File:Cadbury-Buttons.jpg|alt=A collection of Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons|Cadbury Dairy Milk [[Cadbury Buttons|Buttons]]
</gallery>

==Milk chocolate combination bars==
[[File:Schokolade-braun.jpg|thumb|A variety of milk chocolate bars containing additional ingredients]]
At the beginning of the twentieth century, bars which combined milk chocolate with other sweet ingredients appeared on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1904, Cailler launched its [[Branche (chocolate)|Branche]], a praline-filled and branch-looking bar.{{sfn|Meo|2012|page=53}} Other Swiss chocolatiers, Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann, invented [[Toblerone]] in 1908 which contained [[almonds]], [[honey]] and [[nougat]].{{sfn|Morton|Morton|1986|page=109}} In the United States, the [[Goo Goo Cluster]] was first introduced in 1912 which added [[caramel]], [[marshmallow]] and peanuts to the list of ingredients.{{sfn|Smith|2011|page=86}} These were soon followed, in 1914, by [[Fry's Turkish Delight]] in the UK.{{sfn|Martin|2016|page=46}} Shortly afterwards, [[D. L. Clark Company|Clark]] introduced the [[Clark Bar]], which has been called the first combination bar, in 1917.{{sfn|Smith|2011|page=52}}  In 1920, Otto Schnering of the [[Curtiss Candy Company]] created the Baby Ruth bar. By 1925, it was the most popular bar in the US.{{sfn|Smith|2011|page=211}} Soon afterwards, two other brands that would become global giants followed, the [[Mars Bar]] in 1932 and, three years later, [[Rowntree's]] introduced the [[Kit Kat]].{{sfn|Martin|2016|page=46–47}} By 2014, 650 Kit Kat bars were being consumed each second.{{sfn|Wright|2019|page=159}} Combination bars came to dominate the confectionery market with sales surpassing $140&nbsp;billion in 2018.{{sfn|IMARC|2018|page=5}} As of 2023, milk chocolate was most commonly paired globally with caramel flavours and almonds.{{Sfnp|Myers|2023}}

==Ethical issues==
Ethical issues have been intrinsically linked to chocolate in general since the early days. Many of the early chocolatiers, including Cadbury, Fry's, Rowntree's and [[Terry's]], were founded by [[Quakers]] who saw the wellbeing of their workers part of their business ethic.{{sfn|Burns Windsor|1980|page=141}} The companies were pioneers in social welfare, providing a safe working environment, high quality housing and other benefits to employees that were ahead of many of the industrial norms.{{sfn|Burns Windsor|1980|page=89–90}} Cadbury, for example, provided paid holidays, insurance and night schools for workers, as well as constructing [[Bournville]] in Birmingham, UK.{{sfn|Smith|2011|page=75}} However, the working conditions of many in the wider chocolate supply chain remained poor. [[Slavery]], and later [[Debt bondage|bonded labour]], was often employed on the plantations that provided the sugar used to make chocolate.{{sfn|Poelmans|Swinnen|2019|page=17–18}} Even after the [[Abolitionism|abolition of slavery]], the working conditions in many plantations was still poor, with [[Child labour in cocoa production|child labour being frequent]] and unreported.{{sfn|Fromm|2019|page=78}} In 1975, the first in a series of International Cocoa Agreements tried to set what were termed "fair labour conditions" and eliminate child labour.{{sfn|Meloni|Swinnen|2019|page=293}}

Rising consumer awareness, as well as greater corporate and employee interest, led to increasing voluntary action to address human rights issues.{{sfn|Meloni|Swinnen|2019|page=293–294}} Fundamental to this has been the rise of [[Fair trade certification|Fair Trade]] and [[UTZ Certified]] chocolate.{{sfn|Meloni|Swinnen|2019|page=292}} Initially launched by [[Stichting Max Havelaar]] in the Netherlands in 1988, the [[Fairtrade International|Fair Trade movement]] expanded into the mainstream in the following decades, with cocoa second to coffee in terms of sales and volume by 2011. Much of this is driven by the use of Fair Trade ingredients by major brands.{{sfn|Stenzel|2011|page=1}} For example, in Germany, major supermarket [[Lidl]] commenced promoting their own brand milk chocolate with their own Fair Trade label in 2006.{{sfn|Langen|Hartmann|2019|page=260}} Similarly, in the UK, two of the best selling milk chocolate bars, Cadburys Dairy Milk and Nestlé's Kit Kat were marketed with a Fair Trade label starting in 2009 and 2010 respectively.{{sfn|Stenzel|2011|page=1}}

==References==
{{commonscat|Milk chocolate}}
===Citations===
<references />

===Bibliography===
====Books====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book | last=Beckett | first=Steve T. | title=Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYe5oTopUTAC | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] | year=2011 | isbn=9781444357554 }}
* {{cite book | last=Beckett | first=Steve T. | title=The Science of Chocolate | location=London | publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-85404-970-7}}
* {{cite book | last=Beckett | first=Steve T. | chapter=Traditional Chocolate Making | editor-last1=Beckett | editor-first1=Steve T. | editor-last2=Fowler | editor-first2=Mark S. | editor-last3=Ziegler | editor-first3=Gregory R.| title=Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use | location=Chichester | publisher=Wiley | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-11878-014-5 | pages=1–8}}
* {{cite book | last=Burns Windsor | first=David | title=The Quaker Enterprise: Friends in Business | location=London | publisher=Frederick Muller Ltd | year=1980 | isbn=978-0-58410-257-4}}
* {{cite book | last=Carr | first=David | title=Candymaking in Canada | location=Toronto | publisher=Dundurn Press | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-550-02395-4}}
* {{cite book | last=Chrystal | first=Paul | title=Rowntree's – The Early History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rDgxEAAAQBAJ | publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books|Pen and Sword History]] | year=2021 | isbn=9781526778925 }}
* {{cite book | last1=Coe | first1=Sophie D. | last2=Coe | first2=Michael D. | title=The True History of Chocolate | location=London | publisher=Thames and Hudson | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-50029-474-1}}
* {{cite book | last1=Fabian | first1=Maike | last2=Möge | first2=Sirko | last3=Wünsche | first3=Katja | chapter=Lever mit Schokolade: Wie sich Desdner Geschmacksinn entwickelte | trans-chapter=Leveraging chocolate: How Dresden's sense of taste developed | title=Dresden: ethnografische Erkundungen einer Residenzstadt | trans-title=Dresden: An Ethnographic Exploration of a Royal Seat | location=Leipzig | publisher=Leipzig University Press | year=2006 | isbn=978-3-86583-118-7 | language=de | pages=177–207}}
* {{cite book | last=Fromm | first=Ingrid | chapter=From Small Chocolatiers to Sustainable Sourcing: A Historical Review of the Swiss Chocolate Industry | editor-last1=Squicciarini| editor-first2=Mara P. | editor-last2=Swinnen | editor-first=Johan F. M. | title=The Economics of Chocolate | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-19883-340-6 | pages=71–87}}
* {{cite book | last=Goldstein | first=Darra| title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-19931-339-6}}
* {{cite book | last=Hackenesch | first=Silke | chapter=Advertising Chocolate | title=Chocolate and Blackness: A Cultural History | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Mk9DwAAQBAJ | publisher=Campus Verlag | year=2017 | isbn=9783593507767 }}
* {{cite book | last1=Haver | first1=Gianni | last2=Middleton | first2=Robert| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=py_DBwAAQBAJ | title=Swissness in a Nutshell |location=[[Basel]] | publisher=[[Schwabe (publisher)|Schwabe]] | year=2015| isbn=9783905252644 }}
* {{cite book | last=Kusher | first=Barak | chapter=Sweetness and Empire | editor-last1=Franks | editor-first1=Penelope | editor-last2=Hunter | editor-first2=Janet | title=The Historical Consumer: Consumption and Everyday Life in Japan, 1850–2000 | location=Basingstoke | publisher=Palgrave-Macmillan| year=2012 | isbn=978-0-230-27366-5 | pages=127–150}}
* {{cite book | last1=Langen | first1=Nina | last2=Hartmann | first2=Monika | chapter=Chocolate Brands' Communication of CSR in Germany | editor-last1=Squicciarini| editor-first2=Mara P. | editor-last2=Swinnen | editor-first=Johan F. M. | title=The Economics of Chocolate | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-19883-340-6 | pages=247–267}}
* {{cite book | last1=Li | first1=Fan | last2=Mo | first2=Di | chapter=The Burgeoning Chocolate Market in China | editor-last1=Squicciarini| editor-first2=Mara P. | editor-last2=Swinnen | editor-first=Johan F. M. | title=The Economics of Chocolate | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-19883-340-6 | pages=383–399}}
* {{cite book | last=Martin | first=Kathy | title=Famous Brand Names and Their Origins | location=Barnsley | publisher=Pen & Sword History | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-78159-015-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c76wDQAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book | last1=Meloni | first1=Giulia | last2=Swinnen | first2=Loreto | chapter=Chocolate Regulations | editor-last1=Squicciarini| editor-first2=Johan | editor-last2=Swinnen | editor-first=Johan F. M. | title=The Economics of Chocolate | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-19883-340-6 | pages=268–306}}
* {{cite book |last=Meo |first=Carlo |date=2012 |title=Design marketing. Innovare cambiando i significati del consumo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_2ts8-non0C |language=Italian |location=Milan |publisher=Gruppo 24 Ore |isbn= 9788863454413}}
* {{cite book | last1=Mo | first1=Di | last2=Rozelle | first2=Scott | last3=Zhang | first3=Linxiu | chapter=Chocolate Brands and Preferences of Chinese Consumers | editor-last1=Squicciarini| editor-first2=Mara P. | editor-last2=Swinnen | editor-first=Johan F. M. | title=The Economics of Chocolate | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-19883-340-6 | pages=170–179}}
* {{cite book | last1=Morton | first1=Marcia | last2=Morton | first2=Freceric | title=Chocolate, an Illustrated History | location=Oxford | publisher=Crown | year=1986 | isbn=978-0-51755-765-5}}
* {{cite book | last1=Poelmans | first1=Eline | last2=Swinnen | first2=Johann | chapter=A Brief Economic History of Chocolate | editor-last1=Squicciarini| editor-first2=Mara P. | editor-last2=Swinnen | editor-first=Johan F. M. | title=The Economics of Chocolate | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-19883-340-6 | pages=11–42}}
* {{cite book | last=Sloane | first=Paul | chapter=Daniel Peter | title=Think Like An Innovator: 76 inspiring business lessons from the world's greatest thinkers and innovators | location=London | publisher=Pearson UK | year=2016 | isbn=9781292142234 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sa8oDQAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book | last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |title=Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat| location=Santa Barbara | publisher=Greenwood | year=2011 | isbn=978-0-31339-394-5}}
* {{cite book | last1=Wilson | first1=Philip K. | last2=Hurst | first2=W. Jeffrey | title=Chocolate as Medicine: A Quest Over the Centuries | location=London | publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-84973-411-0}}
* {{cite book | last=Wohlmuth | first=Edward G. | chapter=Recipes | editor-last1=Beckett | editor-first1=Steve T. | editor-last2=Fowler | editor-first2=Mark S. | editor-last3=Ziegler | editor-first3=Gregory R.| title=Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use | location=Chichester | publisher=Wiley | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-11878-014-5 | pages=492–508}}
* {{cite book | last=Wright | first=Kai D. |title=Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World | location=Hoboken | publisher=Wiley | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-11960-049-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7-cDwAAQBAJ}}
{{refend}}

====Articles====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite news | last1=Butler | first1=Sarah | last2=Farrell | first2=Sean | title=Thorntons bought by Ferrero for £112m | newspaper=The Guardian | date=22 June 2015 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/22/thorntons-bought-by-ferrero-rocher-for-112m-pounds | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622131949/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/22/thorntons-bought-by-ferrero-rocher-for-112m-pounds | archive-date=22 June 2015 }}  
* {{cite news | last=Byrne | first=Janes | title=Barry Callebaut optimises dairy-free milk chocolate alternative | work=ConfectioneryNews | url=https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2010/09/07/Barry-Callebaut-optimises-dairy-free-milk-chocolate-alternative| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903114517/https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2010/09/07/Barry-Callebaut-optimises-dairy-free-milk-chocolate-alternative | archive-date=3 September 2020 | date=5 September 2010}}
* {{cite report | author=IMARC | title=Milk Chocolate Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2019-2024 | location=Arlington | publisher=IMARC | year=2018}}
* {{cite news |last=Myers |first=Anthony |date=26 September 2023 |title=The flavour trends redefining chocolate indulgence |url=https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2023/09/26/The-flavour-trends-redefining-chocolate-indulgence |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=ConfectioneryNews}}
* {{cite journal | last=Stenzel | first=Paulette L. | title=Mainstreaming Fair Trade: From Coffee and Chocolate to Clothing and Beyond | journal=GlobalEdge Business Review | volume=5 | number=5 | year=2011 | pages=1–2 |url=https://globaledge.msu.edu/content/gbr/gbr5-5.pdf}}
{{refend}}

{{chocolate}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chocolate confectionery]]
[[Category:Types of chocolate]]