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The Whole Truth

71% Dark Cocoa Bar Sweetened with Dates

Name: 71% Dark Cocoa Bar Sweetened with Dates
Brand: The Whole Truth

Clean On SafeShelf

NOVA 3two ingredientsno refined sugarno added sugarno artificial additiveshigh fibergluten-freediabetic-safenut-freepregnancy-safelactose-free

Serving

10 g

Pack

80 g

Ingredients

Barcode

8906143890473

Buy on Amazon

01 — Ingredient mix

What’s in the box, ranked from most concerning.

Each ingredient gets a tier from our researched dossier. The list sorts worst-first; the donut summarises the distribution. Tap any ingredient for its full dossier.

Cleared · 2 ingredients shown

Cleared2 of 2 ingredients

cocoa (cocoa nibs 51%, cocoa butter 20%)Cleared

date powderCleared

Why it’s on SafeShelf

Reviewed and added to SafeShelf — every ingredient checked against our safety, regulatory and processing standards.

02 — Claims audit

Every label claim, fact-checked.

We treat each claim as a question — does what’s inside back it up? Tap a claim for the reasoning.

10/12

claims fully supported

“No refined sugar”true

Ingredient list confirms only cocoa and date powder; no cane sugar, sucrose, glucose syrup, or other refined sugars are present. Added sugar on the nutrition panel is 0.0g.

“No sugar substitutes”true

No stevia, aspartame, sucralose, maltitol, or any other sweetener is present in the ingredients.

“No artificial flavours”true

Neither ingredient contains or requires artificial flavouring; no flavouring agents appear anywhere in the formulation.

“No hydrogenated fats”true

Trans fat is declared as 0.0g per serving and 0.0g per 100g. Cocoa butter is a natural fat; no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are listed.

“No half truths”unverified

A brand positioning statement rather than a factual nutrition claim; the product does fully disclose both ingredients and their percentages, consistent with the spirit of the claim.

“No hidden # marks either”true

The ingredient list contains no compound ingredients hidden behind footnotes or # symbols; both ingredients are explicitly named with percentages.

“Just two ingredients”true

The label lists cocoa (71%, comprising cocoa nibs 51% + cocoa butter 20%) and date powder (29%). This is transparently two ingredients (cocoa and date powder), with cocoa's sub-components openly disclosed.

“Clean Label”true

Two whole-food ingredients, no additives, no E-numbers, no preservatives — this meets any standard industry definition of a clean label.

“#nothingtohide”true

Both ingredients are named with exact percentages on the front of pack; the nutrition table is fully populated including added sugars at 0.0%.

“71% Cocoa, 29% Dates – That's it.”true

Confirmed by the declared ingredient list: cocoa 71% (nibs 51% + butter 20%), date powder 29%.

“From bean. To bar. With love.”unverified

A brand narrative claim about manufacturing process and care; no third-party bean-to-bar certification or traceability documentation is available in the provided data to verify.

“0.0% added sugars”true

The nutrition table explicitly shows added sugars as 0.0% RDA per serving, consistent with date powder being a whole-fruit ingredient whose sugars are intrinsic, not added.

03 — The fuller picture

Read the whole thing if a one-line verdict isn’t enough.

What’s in favour, and what’s working against it

In favour

Only two whole-food ingredients — total label transparency
Zero refined sugar; sweetened entirely with date powder
No artificial flavours, colours, or preservatives
No hydrogenated fats; zero trans fat
Good dietary fibre — 8.2g per 100g
FSSAI licensed and vegetarian certified

Working against

Very high saturated fat — 31.2g per 100g (156% RDA direction)
High calorie density — ~597 kcal per 100g
Natural sugars still significant — 21.6g per 100g from dates
Contains caffeine and theobromine — stimulants requiring caution in sensitive groups
Cocoa nibs carry low-level cadmium (natural soil uptake); stricter limits apply for children per EU guidance
Cross-contamination risk: may contain milk, soy, gluten, and nuts

Who should approach with care

Pregnancy — Cocoa nibs contain both caffeine and theobromine; health authorities recommend limiting total caffeine to under 200 mg/day during pregnancy to reduce risk of adverse fetal outcomes.

Infants — Infants cannot efficiently metabolise theobromine and caffeine present in cocoa nibs, making this product inappropriate for infant consumption.

Children — Children are more sensitive to caffeine and theobromine on a per-body-weight basis, and EU cadmium regulations apply stricter limits for cocoa products consumed by children due to higher cumulative exposure risk.

Kidney Disease — Cocoa nibs are high in oxalate (risk of calcium oxalate stones) and date powder is high in potassium, both of which can be problematic for individuals with chronic kidney disease or oxalate-sensitive conditions.

Migraine — Cocoa is a recognised dietary migraine trigger due to tyramine, phenylethylamine, and caffeine, which can promote vasodilation and neurological responses linked to migraine onset in susceptible individuals.

Heart Disease — Theobromine from cocoa nibs can affect heart rate and rhythm in individuals with arrhythmias or on cardiac medications, and the very high saturated fat content (31.2g/100g) warrants medical guidance before regular consumption.

Hypertension — High saturated fat diets are associated with endothelial dysfunction; individuals with hypertension should moderate intake of saturated-fat-dense foods including cocoa butter-containing products.

Diabetes — Date powder contains over 70% natural sugars (fructose and glucose); despite a documented low glycaemic index, the 21.6g total sugar per 100g warrants portion control for individuals managing blood glucose.

Ibs — Date powder has a high-FODMAP fructose and fermentable-fibre profile, and cocoa's caffeine and theobromine may exacerbate IBS symptoms including bloating, cramping, and bowel urgency.

Ibd — The high fat content from cocoa butter may exacerbate fat malabsorption and gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with active inflammatory bowel disease.

Gout — The high fructose content of date powder can elevate serum uric acid levels, potentially precipitating gout flares in predisposed individuals.

The full analysis

The Whole Truth's 71% Dark Cocoa Bar is a minimally-processed confection aimed at health-aware chocolate lovers who want to know exactly what they're eating — and here, the answer really is just two whole-food ingredients. The product delivers genuine dark-chocolate intensity, meaningful dietary fibre (8.2g/100g), and zero refined sugar or artificial anything, but it is calorie-dense (597 kcal/100g) with very high saturated fat (31.2g/100g) and a non-trivial natural sugar load (21.6g/100g entirely from dates). The most useful thing to know: this is one of the cleanest chocolate bars on the Indian market, but 'sweetened with dates' still means real sugar — eat it as a treat, not a free food.

FSSAI licence

11523998000637

Manufacturer

F-Sight Health Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Region

Source

MANUAL

Analysis

Independently researched