China consumes less chocolate as stocks fall

On China’s version of Valentine’s Day, big international chocolate makers like Hershey are not feeling the love.

Hunger for the dark delicacy in the world’s second-largest economy has hit a soft spot as the government cracks down on bribery gifts and a meltdown in the stock market has made consumers nervous.

Smaller, local chocolate makers appear to be making slight gains, but the big multinationals are struggling to match recent growth rates in a crowded marketplace.