Now Then Sonny, What's In The Bag ...?

I popped down to Porte de Versailles yesterday for the 'Salon du Chocolat' - wall to wall cocoa and chocolate products. Naturally, the public were tucking into everything like there was to be a world shortage any second now.

On one lap of the exhibition hall I got chatting to one particular French producer who was knocking out some rather fine sugar-free chocolates - and jolly good they were too. Pertinent questions were asked, was the price of sugar-free chocolates not unlike bio products elsewhere? Pricey? Apparently, not. Almost the same price as run of the mill chocolate bars etc that you find on the shelves in your local supermarket.

After 2 hours I decided that I had seen and tasted everything I wanted, so I left with my camera bag bursting full of paperwork and info packs. I arrived home and discharged the overflowing bag only to find this;


Christ on a bike! With my recent brush with the law still firmly in my memory (see "Banged To Rights", below) I was near touching cloth when I feasted my peepers on this - a small transparent bag containing white powder. Was this planted on me for PC Bulldog to find? What would have happened had I been stopped and searched!? Panic surged through my body and scenarios flashed before me.

Thanks to the sugar-free chocolate producer, deep within the press pack he had thrusted into my mits was a sample of the product they use to replace sugar; MALTITOL and in supicious powder form to boot.











Sadly, I will not be sprinkling it onto my cornflakes but tipping it down the bog. Just when I thought I was getting over the whole nasty experience ... it's back on the tranquillisers then ...

Stu