On January 19, 2012, Brookside Foods Ltd. (Brookside) was acquired by The Hershey Company (Hershey). Brookside is an Abbotsford, British Columbia headquartered chocolate confectionery company. Hershey is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Yes, BROOKSIDE dark chocolates are gluten free. For a list of Hershey products that are gluten free, find out more here.

Established in 1954 as Brookside Farms, in 1960 it became a confectionary company, still honouring its agricultural roots by focusing on nuts and fruits. It wasn't until 1988 that the magic ingredient was added to the mix: chocolate.

Brookside Dark Chocolate, Acai and Blueberry Flavored A: One serving (12 pieces) contains 17 grams of sugar. It contains cocoa so yes...it contains caffeine.

Where is BROOKSIDE chocolate made? BROOKSIDE chocolate candies are made in facilities in British Columbia and Quebec, Canada.

Ken Shaver ABBOTSFORD, BC, Oct 5 /PRNewswire/ - The Board of Directors of Brookside Foods is pleased to announce the appointment of Ken Shaver as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Ken joined Brookside Foods in December 2008 as President.

In its purest form, chocolate in any of its milk, dark and white varieties doesn't contain gluten. Sadly for chocoholic coeliacs everywhere, the reason all chocolate isn't gluten free is because some products have gluten-based ingredients added, or they are made in a factory where gluten is used.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Bar Brands

• Alter Eco.
• Dagoba Chocolate.
• Dove Chocolate.
• Endangered Species.
• Enjoy Life.
• Hershey's.
• Nestlé
• Scharffen Berger.

Products with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal are grown and harvested on farms and forests that follow sustainable practices.

The National Advertising Division has recommended that Hershey modify its packaging and advertising for Brookside candies so consumers know the product is made with fruit flavors and not real fruit.

dark chocolate Yes, dark chocolate does contain caffeine. Of all the chocolate varieties, it's the one with the highest amount. It's because the darker types are made of more cocoa solids, and the caffeine is in the cacao.

Humans can easily digest and excrete methylxanthines, the half life of theobromine being 2-3 hours. However absorption in dogs is slow, with metabolism in the liver and extrahepatic recirculation before excretion in the urine. The half life of theobromine in dogs is about 18 hours.