BUSINESS MEMO: PLENTY OF CHOCOLATE

Don't panic! There's plenty of chocolate for everybody.

That's the message from Susan Smith, senior vice president of public affairs for the Chocalate Manufacturers Association at McLean, Va., following an article last week in the New York Times that expressed concern over how long the world cocoa bean supply can hold out in the face of the changing dynamic in cocoa bean farming.

"Chocalate is, and will continue to be, an available and affordable food," assured Smith. The research arm of the chocolate association has been working to insure there will be adequate supplies of cocoa beans far into the future.

Americans consumed 11.7 pounds of chocolate per capita in 1996. That could go up during the next five years. The American Cocoa Research Institute has determined that improving cocoa tree production methods will continue to provide quality and yields.