Lindt Frequently Asked Questions

Is there gluten or barley malt in Lindt chocolate?

Gluten can be found in several premium chocolate products that Lindt & Sprüngli produces; either as a cereal ingredient or as a barley component. When barley malt extract is the only gluten-containing cereal ingredient in the ingredient list, the quantity used in the recipe is very low therefore gluten level is below 20 mg/kg (which is "gluten-free" according to EU regulations and Codex Alimentarius).

For consumers who are sensitive to gluten, we do offer certain premium high cocoa content products that are manufactured without any cereal or barley malt. These offerings include four products from our EXCELLENCE range - 70%, 85%, 90% and 99%. Further we also have Lindt Excellence a Touch of Vanilla white chocolate bar, Lindor Strawberries and Cream truffles, Lindor white chocolate truffles and Lindor white chocolate bars which do not contain any gluten containing ingredient in the recipe or as traces from cross contact and is suitable for consumers sensitive to gluten. Please always refer to the ingredient list on the product’s packaging for definitive advice.

We are sensitive to the fact that there are consumers who are unable to enjoy all of our chocolate at this time, and we hope that in the future we will be able to extend more product offerings to accommodate our consumers with varying dietary requirements.

Are Lindt products nut allergen safe?

Unfortunately, no Lindt product is 100% guaranteed nut allergen safe. All our Lindt production sites globally are peanut free since 2016. The "may contain nuts" warning informs you that the product may contain minute traces of nuts because they are produced on the same production lines. Traces of almond, hazelnut, pistachio, macadamia, cashew or pecan could be present in very rare cases because chocolates containing nuts are manufactured on the same lines or in the same production area. However the "nuts" do not include peanuts. All Lindt manufacturing facilities process nut products, so there is a potential for cross contamination. Though Lindt incorporates the most thorough cleaning process, minute traces may cross contact with other products within the factory. According to allergen experts, a simple nut protein trace can cause an allergic reaction and we advise you to consult your physician for a consumption recommendation. Lindt is aware of the growing prevalence of restricted diets due to nut allergies, and we are sensitive to the fact that these consumers may not be able to enjoy our chocolate at this time.

Soya Lecithin in Lindt Products

Soya lecithin can be found in our regular dark chocolate products, as well as milk and white chocolate. The EXCELLENCE 70%, 85%, 90%, and 99% bars are our only products that do not contain soya lecithin. We have a comprehensive allergen control program in place and we adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices in order to reduce the risk of cross contamination. However, we do label all of our products with "may contain soya" as a precaution for the most sensitive consumers.

Which Lindt products are suitable for people with lactose intolerance?

Lindt uses skim milk powder, whole milk powder, and other dairy ingredients in many of our chocolate products. While our white and milk chocolate products contain the most, the Excellence 70%, 85%, 90% and 99% bars do not have milk products in them. However, all Lindt manufacturing facilities process milk, dark, and white chocolate products. We have an allergen control program in place and adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices in order to reduce the risk of cross contamination, however, we do label all of our chocolate products that do not contain milk as an ingredient with the statement "may contain milk" as a precaution for those that are most sensitive to milk and milk ingredients. For those reasons, Lindt does not have products suitable for people with severe lactose intolerance.

Do all Excellence bars include sesame allergen warning?

We do have a facility that produces products containing sesame. As such, we take precautions to safe-guard our consumers’ health by including the sesame allergen warning on the packaging. We also sell EXCELLENCE bars that are manufactured in a different facility which do not carry a sesame warning. Please, check the ingredient list each time to verify if a product contains sesame as an ingredient or to ensure traces as cross contamination.

Eggs or Poultry Ingredients in Lindt Products

Poultry is not used in any of Lindt products. While eggs can be an ingredient in some of our filled chocolates and pralines, all egg and egg by-products are listed in bold in the ingredient statement. Please always refer to the packaging for a definitive ingredient listing.

Do you sell sugar-free/reduced-sugar chocolate products?

Currently, we do not offer any sugar-free products. For a reduced sugar content, you may try the EXCELLENCE 85% Cocoa chocolate bar which has 5g of sugar per serving, or the EXCELLENCE 90% Cocoa chocolate bar which has 1.3g of sugar per serving. We also have an EXCELLENCE 99% Cocoa chocolate bar.

Are Lindt chocolate products suitable for vegans?

Some of our products are made without any animal products, such as our Lindt EXCELLENCE range with 70%, 85%, 90% and 99% Cocoa dark chocolate bars. Please always refer to the packaging for a definitive ingredient listing.

Are Lindt chocolate products suitable for vegetarians?

We are delighted to inform you that our chocolates (including our Lindor and Excellence ranges) are suitable for vegetarians. The only ingredients of animal origin we use to manufacture some of our chocolates are milk, milk products, milk fat and cream and sometimes eggs. Some of our other brands to contain shellac. Please always refer to the packaging for a definitive ingredient listing. If you would like to know about any other products, you are welcome to contact us here.

Are there flavanols in Lindt chocolate?

There are flavanols in Lindt chocolate. We do, however, not publish proprietary information on the flavanol levels in our chocolate.

How much caffeine is in Lindt chocolate?

Caffeine is a natural compound derived from plant sources like kola nut and naturally found in substances like coffee and tea. However, very little caffeine is found in chocolate in comparison to the amount found in the other commonly consumed sources. Lindt & Sprüngli is not able to provide any data on the content of caffeine in its products as no systematic investigations have been made. However, a general conclusion is that chocolates with a high content of cocoa (i.e. Lindt Excellence 85%) contain, if at all, more caffeine than products with less cocoa content. White chocolates does not contain any caffeine at all..

Do Lindt products contain alcohol?

Only a very few Lindt chocolate products contain alcohol or alcoholic liqueurs as an ingredient. If alcohol is used as an added ingredient, it will be listed in the product's ingredient list located in the nutritional section of the pack or wrapper.

Are there trans-fats or hydrogenated oils in Lindt chocolate?

For the production of our solid chocolates, the only vegetable fat Lindt & Sprüngli uses is pure cocoa butter. Fillings may contain other vegetable fats. Milk fat is used in milk chocolate recipes or in selected filling masses. In this context, we would point out that none of our products contain trans-fats or hydrogenated fats.

Is Lindt using Palm Oil and is it sourced sustainably?

Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their fractions are used in limited amounts in certain fillings of our chocolate. Lindt & Sprüngli buys less than 0.01% of the global palm oil harvest. While these products are important for their melting properties and for providing a neutral flavour, their production under uncontrolled conditions may be associated with environmental and social sustainability issues, including deforestation and conversion of peatlands, biodiversity loss, exploitation of workers, and adverse effects on local communities and Indigenous Peoples. However, palm oil can be produced responsibly when planted in suitable areas and with appropriate consideration for the environment and communities. Palm oil is a high yielding vegetable oil. In comparison to soybean, rapeseed and sunflower, palm oil needs significantly less land to produce the same volume. We recognize that banning and substituting palm oil with other crops would require more land to be dedicated to vegetable oil production globally, likely at the expense of natural forest land. We believe that the best way to protect and restore the rainforest and threatened habitats is to undertake actions for a more sustainable palm oil industry. For these reasons, we only purchase palm oil certified according to the Round Table of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) sustainable standard (in Europe: RSPO’s Segregated traceability level; in US: mix of “Segregated” and “Mass Balance”), and always declare palm oil use on our product packaging. Find out more here.

Where does our cocoa come from?

Cocoa beans are the heart of our chocolates. Knowing which of the many different origins of cocoa beans will best contribute to the distinctive taste of a product is a skill that we have perfected over time. A fundamental distinction is made between consumer and fine flavor cocoa. Consumer cocoa is cocoa with a robust flavor. It accounts for the largest share (90-95%) of total global cocoa production and is farmed mainly in West Africa. Lindt & Sprüngli uses Forastero beans (consumer cocoa) from Ghana. The remaining 5-10% of worldwide cocoa harvests are fine flavor cocoa. Fine flavor cocoa is a high-quality cocoa with nuanced, fine aroma. It is mainly farmed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Lindt & Sprüngli uses fine flavor cocoa beans (Criollo and Trinitario) from Ecuador, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea and Peru. Our own sustainability program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, is in place in all countries we source cocoa beans from. After achieving our goal to source 100% of our cocoa beans through the Farming Program in 2020, we extended the Farming Program to include cocoa butter from Côte d’Ivoire in 2021. These are major steps towards our target to source all of our cocoa products (beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass) through sustainability programs by 2025. Learn more

What is Lindt & Sprüngli doing with regards to sustainable sourcing of cocoa beans?

In 2008, we launched the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program in Ghana and in the subsequent years in all our other cocoa bean sourcing origins (Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Peru) to support cocoa farmers, their families and communities. The three main objectives are to increase the resilience of farming households, reduce the risk of child labor, and conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems. Find out more here.

Besides cocoa beans, cocoa butter and powder are also used in the production of chocolate. How sustainable are these raw materials?

Lindt & Sprüngli has set itself the target of sourcing 100% of its cocoa (beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass) through sustainability programs by 2025. After achieving our goal of sourcing 100% of cocoa beans through our own Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program in 2020, the Program was extended to cocoa butter in 2021. In 2022, it was already possible to procure a small amount of cocoa powder through our Program. We are thus taking a step-by-step approach to achieving our target in 2025.

How sustainable is the packaging of our chocolate?

Lindt & Sprüngli is working on numerous packaging initiatives towards five targets which consider impacts along the lifecycle of a package, from raw material sourcing to designing for recycling or reuse. For example, we aim to source 100% of pulp- and paper-based packaging from certified sustainable supply chains by 2025 and to make 100% of our packaging recyclable or reusable. In addition to innovative packaging solutions that are being implemented on an ongoing basis, we are also proactively challenging our product portfolio to reduce packaging material weight, reduce packaging waste in production, and minimize packaging destruction. Chocolate is a delicate product that must be optimally protected from environmental influences. Therefore, sustainability criteria, food safety and quality specifications must always be taken into account when new packaging solutions are developed.

How does Lindt & Sprüngli combat the deforestation of rainforests caused by cocoa cultivation?

Cocoa cultivation has a high risk of biodiversity loss through deforestation or harmful farming practices. We acknowledge our responsibility to contribute to preventing cocoa-driven deforestation. We therefore began implementing the Lindt & Sprüngli Cocoa No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Action Plan in 2019.
The primary objectives of our Action Plan for cocoa include:
– No cocoa sourcing from protected areas as per local laws
– No expansion of land for cocoa cultivation into areas defined by the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Approach or equivalent
– Agroforestry systems for cocoa production
– Supporting community forest protection and restoration
The Action Plan applies to all suppliers delivering cocoa from sustainability programs, and it remains integral to our Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. Find further information in our latest No-Deforestation& Agroforestry Progress Report

What are Lindt & Sprüngli's goals to address climate change?

Lindt & Sprüngli’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions management and reporting have historically focused on emissions from the production of chocolate within our factories (Scopes 1 and 2). This was a logical first step given our direct leverage. We are now fundamentally evolving our approach to align with the best available science on tackling climate change and consider our complete carbon footprint, including emissions from our entire value chain (Scope 3). As a result, in 2021 Lindt & Sprüngli committed to defining science-based targets (SBT), including a near term reduction target and a goal of reaching net-zero emissions in the long term. This year we submitted our targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and we will announce them in the second half of 2023.
In the interim, we are committed to achieving a 2% reduction of GHG emissions in our production process per year from 2020 levels, per ton produced. In 2022, we achieved an overall reduction of 21% compared to our 2020 levels.

Is Lindt & Sprüngli committed to sustainable business practices?

Yes. You can find all information about our sustainability commitment on our website. Lindt & Sprüngli annually publishes a sustainability report about its progress towards its commitments. For further information, please visit our corporate website.

What does 70% Cocoa (or any other percentage of cocoa) mean?

The percentage (%) quantifies the amount of cocoa solids contained in the chocolate. This includes cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. For example:

- EXCELLENCE 70% cocoa bar contains 70% cocoa solids
- EXCELLENCE 85% cocoa bar contains 85% cocoa solids

What is the cocoa content of Lindt chocolates?

We offer a broad spectrum of different cocoa percentages. For many of the flavoured chocolates, the cocoa content is around 50% in order for the flavour of the addition to come through. But we make chocolate with 70% and all the way to 99% and even 100% cocoa. (100% Cocoa however is not referred to as chocolate anymore- but Cocoa) The cocoa percentage refers to the amount of ingredients coming from the cocoa beans used to create the chocolate. It is a good guide to understand a little more as to what a connoisseur can expect from the chocolate. The higher the cocoa percentage the more of the cocoa you will get to experience, with all the benefits of a less sweet chocolate. Next to its intensity, there is an interesting fact about high cocoa rates. Lindt uses a high amount of fine flavour beans - a specific type of cocoa beans with the intense aromatic notes. Therefore, the mix of ingredients coming from the cocoa bean creates flavour bouquets that are entirely different from each other and will enliven your senses. Each Excellence tablet reveals unique flavours, from the balanced fullness of 70% Cocoa to the ultimate intensity of 100% Cocoa. The minimum cocoa content is regulated by food legislation and dark chocolate requires a minimum cocoa content of 35% to be able to be a classed as dark chocolate, with milk requiring a minimum of 25% and white chocolate 20% cocoa solids. There is something for every chocolate lover in the Lindt range.