When one buys a product from a store, they generally (understandably) think that it will be perfectly fine to use as soon as they leave the store.
However, this isn’t always the case. Numerous internet users have alleged that they’ve accidentally purchased expired items from stores. In some cases, users have returned an expired item, only to see it back on sale on store shelves a few days later.
Occasionally, a product can be in-date, but still have considerable issues. Such was the case when TikTok user @thefantasticfludds opened a new bar of Hershey’s chocolate, only to discover something unexpected.
What happened to this bar of Hershey’s chocolate?
In a video with over 4.3 million views, TikTokers Elaine and Chris show a bar of Hershey’s chocolate.
“We just bought this chocolate bar so we could make a s’more,” Elaine starts. “What is wrong with it?”
While Hershey’s chocolate bars are usually a dark brown color, this one appears to be a whitish, with a rough texture that exposes some darker brown parts underneath.
“And it’s not expired,” the TikToker clarifies.
Why does chocolate turn white?
While the TikTokers may have been taken aback by this discovery, this is actually fairly normal. This is something called “blooming,” and it can happen relatively easily.
According to Lake Champlain Chocolates, two kinds of blooming can occur in chocolate: sugar blooming and fat blooming.
Sugar bloom occurs when chocolate is exposed to high humidity or condensation, causing the sugars in the chocolate to absorb moisture, rise to the surface, and re-crystallize into a grainy, dusty layer on the surface of the bar.
Fat bloom, in contrast, results from temperature fluctuations that cause the cocoa butter or other fats within the chocolate to melt, separate, and migrate to the surface, leaving a whitish-gray, greasy residue on the surface of the chocolate and giving the bar a crumbly texture.
It’s unclear what occurred here. In general, sugar bloom is caused by moisture coming into contact with the chocolate, while fat bloom is caused by changes in temperature. For example, if a chocolate bar has been warmed, then frozen.
While the chocolate may look unappetizing, it is perfectly safe to eat. However, the texture of the chocolate may be more powdery and crumbly than what one is used to.
@thefantasticfludds #fypage #tiktokk #trend @Hershey’s ♬ original sound – thefantasticfludds
Some viewers knew the answer
In the comments section, some users explained the process of blooming chocolate, while others simply made jokes about the situation.
“It’s giving CHALKolate,” a user joked.
“Worked at/managed a candy story with my partner who’s a chocolatier, it’s just bloomed. It started to melt and then got cooled too quickly so it separated a little,” noted another. “It’s totally safe to eat.”
“Tbh bloomed chocolate bars tastes better then actual chocolates,” claimed a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to The Hershey Company via media contact form and the TikTokers via TikTok comment and direct message.
Update April 7, 8:52am ET: In an email to the Daily Dot, the Hershey Company offered the following statement:
“We can confirm that what the consumer is experiencing is a result of chocolate blooming, which occurs when chocolate is stored at varying temperatures after leaving our manufacturing facilities. Chocolate bloom happens when cocoa butter separates from other ingredients and rises to the surface, creating a whitish appearance. While it may affect texture, bloomed chocolate remains completely safe to consume. At Hershey, we maintain strict quality control standards throughout our production process. Once our products leave our facilities, however, they may be exposed to temperature fluctuations during transport or storage that can cause the blooming to occur.”
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
