Guest Author - Deborah Markus

Chocolate is reason enough in and of itself to feel good about eating it, so far as I'm concerned.

But there are now quite a few companies whose chocolate wares you can feel good about consuming for wider-reaching reasons than that little tea-time lift. Here are a few I've sampled.

One of the first socially-responsible food companies, and probably the best known in America, is Paul Newman's Newman's Own. Newman's Own donates all their profits (after taxes) to charity. They have some fine organic chocolate products.

Their dark chocolate is good, and they also use it to coat their peanut butter cups, which is a delightful change from the usual milk blanket. Their milk chocolate rice crisp bars are also unusual, as the rice is brown and quite flavorful, not merely a distracting texture.

Green and Black's chocolate is quite famous as well. The company prides itself on paying a good price to its cocoa growers, and using organic farming methods.

Their dark chocolate can only be called serious. Its flavor is extraordinarily strong, with nary a hint of sweetness. Some adore it for these reasons; some can't stand the stuff. You might want to keep a bar of it around in case you run out of coffee some morning. Like it or loathe it, the taste alone will wake you right up.

If Green and Black's dark chocolate is too intense for you, give their milk chocolate a try even if you usually don't care for the stuff. I bought a large bar and shared it with several confirmed dark chocolate lovers, and we all agreed that between its wonderfully rich texture and its lively, not-overly-sweet taste, it was a milk bar anyone could love.

Sunspire chocolate products are organic, and the company works closely with its cocoa growers. Their dedication to non-chemical solutions to common cacao farming problems is admirable. Their chocolate is also quite good. My son is addicted to their SunDrops, which are rather like organic M&Ms; I enjoy their Mint Crunch dark chocolate bars.

No one can walk by a display of Endangered Species chocolate company products without stopping to take a look. The wrappers have pictures of various animals -- giraffes, bears, snow leopards -- and the purchaser can learn about the wild creatures by reading the inside of the labels. The animal stories are lively, factual, and positive, focusing on informing rather than depressing the consumer.

The company donates 10% of its net profits to animal protection organizations. It also buys only organically-grown cocoa from small, family-owned farms, in an effort to encourage sustainable farming practices.

Their chocolate bars are quite enjoyable. They offer unusual combinations, such as milk chocolate with peanut butter or mocha, or dark chocolate with freeze-dried raspberries. I like the fact that the peanut butter is stirred directly into the chocolate (rather than sandwiched in as a layer) for a smooth and subtle taste.

It's nice to live in a world where we can feel good about eating chocolate even aside from the pure pleasure of doing so.