Chocolate without sugar?

Chocolate is an indulgent treat that many people enjoy on a more frequent basis than we would care to admit. It is creamy, rich and melts in the mouth and there are not many people who would decline a square or two if they were offered. I have just eaten a few squares of dark chocolate which is my latest guilty pleasure, trying to kid myself it is healthier as it is dark chocolate.

My favourite dark chocolate to date is Green and Blacks espresso dark chocolate, it has a real bitter sweet taste to it and is a real treat. It definitely motivates my to finish my dissertation which no surprise is all about chocolate!

I got thinking, could chocolate be made healthier by using sweeteners or another sugar alternative? If this was possible, would consumers be interested in trying this or do they want chocolate to contain sugar?

This is good food for thought - obviously natural sweeteners would have to be used but in general how much do consumers know about sweeteners and are they willing to eat products with multiple sweeteners or are consumers suspicious of the potential long term affects of them?

These are all questions I hope to find the answer to!