Chocoholism Reaches Near-Epidemic Proportions

As the Valentine's Day is coming, industry gears up to spew out roses, cards and confectionery. Chocoholism reached almost epidemic proportions in 2002 as the world chomped its way through chocolate bars, sweets and pralines worth a staggering $42.2 billion.

Research Inflatable Tent from business information group Datamonitor put the Irish and British at the top of the chocolate-munchers league.

While Europe as a whole spent .2 billion on chocolate last year, Britons made almost one in three chocolate purchases, while in Belgium, considered by many to be the home of the chocolate-maker's art, Belgian put away only 8.4 kilos per head.

But tastes vary widely.

The French prefer simplicity and purity of taste, without additional flavors and with little sugar, while Italian tastes are geared toward the more indulgent and sophisticated end of the market.

The Japanese prefer milk chocolate, the Thais go for white chocolate and in Hong Kong and Singapore, dark varieties come out as favorites.