Types of Chocolate: FDA Standards and USDA Values per Ounce

Types of chocolate are defined in federal law: FDA’s standards of identity for cacao products, 21 CFR Part 163, set what chocolate liquor, sweet, semisweet, bittersweet, milk and white chocolate and cocoa must contain before a label can use those names. This guide quotes those standards from the eCFR and lists USDA SR Legacy values per ounce for 11 chocolates and cocoas, including caffeine and theobromine. For a single product, see our dark chocolate guide.

Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Types of chocolate in FDA's standards of identity

FDA’s standards of identity are rules that fix the recipe behind a food name. Part 163 of Title 21 covers cacao products, and the table quotes the requirement FDA uses for each main name. The percentages are by weight of the finished food; for the chocolate liquor figures, the standards subtract the cacao fat and multiply the remainder by 2.2. Each row lists the names FDA allows on the label, leaving out the coating names.

FDA’s standard describes chocolate liquor as “the solid or semiplastic food prepared by finely grinding” the nibs, and the names FDA allows for it include unsweetened, bitter, baking and cooking chocolate. Under FDA’s standard, the nibs are made by removing the shell from cleaned, dried and cracked cacao beans; our cacao nibs guide covers that food.

Sweet chocolate under the FDA standard holds not less than 15 percent chocolate liquor and “less than 12 percent by weight of total milk solids,” and FDA counts semisweet and bittersweet as two names for the same higher-liquor food. Milk chocolate adds dairy: FDA requires “not less than 3.39 percent by weight of milkfat and not less than 12 percent by weight of total milk solids.” The white chocolate standard requires “not less than 3.5 percent by weight of milkfat,” “not less than 14 percent by weight of total milk solids,” and “not more than 55 percent by weight nutritive carbohydrate sweetener.”

None of the section titles in FDA’s Part 163 uses the word dark. USDA SR Legacy files bars of the dark chocolate kind by cacao solids, in ranges of 45 to 59, 60 to 69 and 70 to 85 percent.

Cocoa and cocoa labels under FDA rules

FDA describes breakfast cocoa as the food “prepared by pulverizing the material remaining after part of the cacao fat has been removed” from the ground nibs. The three FDA cocoa names differ by cacao fat: breakfast or high fat cocoa at not less than 22 percent, cocoa or medium fat cocoa from 10 to under 22 percent, and lowfat cocoa under 10 percent. When an alkali ingredient is used, FDA requires the name to be accompanied by the statement “Processed with alkali,” and USDA SR Legacy has separate entries for natural and alkali-processed cocoa.

USDA values for kinds of chocolate and cocoa

The table lists USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries per ounce (28.35 grams), ranked by caffeine. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values of 78 grams for total fat, 20 grams for saturated fat and 28 grams for fiber. FDA sets no Daily Value for total sugars, caffeine or theobromine, so those columns show amounts only. Labels in the first column are shortened; the next table gives the full USDA description.

In USDA data, unsweetened cocoa lists the most caffeine per ounce, about 65 milligrams, and the alkali-processed entry lists the most theobromine, about 747 milligrams. Among the bars, USDA lists 18 to 24 milligrams of caffeine per ounce for the 60 to 85 percent cacao solids entries, sweet, semisweet and unsweetened baking chocolate, against 6 milligrams for milk chocolate and 0 for white chocolate. The white chocolate entry also lists the most sugars in the table, 16.7 grams per ounce in USDA data, and unsweetened baking chocolate lists 9.2 grams of saturated fat, 46% of the FDA Daily Value.

For caffeine across other foods, see our caffeine foods list and our guide to caffeine amounts. For sugar figures, see foods high in sugar.

What the USDA entry names say

USDA’s SR Legacy descriptions show how the database files each product. USDA puts milk, white, sweet and semisweet chocolate under Candies, names the bars by cacao solids range, and keeps three separate cocoa entries. All 11 sit in the Sweets food group.

These are generic database entries, not products of any company. The Nutrition Facts label on a bar or tin is the figure for that product, and the ingredient list shows which FDA name applies. Our types of meat guide uses the same USDA source for meats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a health condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Types of Meat: Federal Definitions and USDA Values for 20 Meats, Dark Chocolate: Is It Healthy? Benefits, Nutrition and Caffeine, Cacao Nibs: Benefits, Nutrition and Cacao vs Cocoa Explained, Foods High in Caffeine: USDA Caffeine per Serving, Ranked.