'Snowing chocolate’ seen in Switzerland after factory malfunction
Pre-Advanced Residents in Olten, Switzerland woke up a coating of chocolate powder after a malfunction at the Lindt & Sprüngli factory.
A defect occurred in the cooling ventilation that was processing roasted cocoa nibs and strong wind gusts sent the chocolate powder soaring out of the factory. The surrounding area located immediately outside of the factory was then coated with a thin layer of chocolate powder.
The Twitter account for the town shared a photo of a thin layer of chocolate on a car that was parked near the factory.
The town’s local news network, Oltner Tagblatt, reported that small particles of roasted, crushed cocoa beans are harmless to humans and the environment. The factory is working on repairing the technical issue.
Sara Thallner, a spokesperson for the factory, added that Lindt & Sprüngl has offered to pay for cleaning the car that was covered in chocolate powder, but they have not received a response from the vehicle’s owner.
This is not the first time that chocolate has suddenly appeared in a small European town. A truck in Poland overturned on a highway and spilled such a significant amount of chocolate that six lanes were covered in May 2018. Several months after this incident, firefighters were called to a scene in a German town when the DreiMeister candy factory began leaking chocolate in December 2018.
Today's Vocabulary
1. malfunction (v)
to fail to work or operate correctly
2. gusts (n)
a sudden strong wind
3. roast (v)
to heat nuts or coffee beans so that they become drier and browner
4. spilled (v)
to (cause to) flow, move, fall, or spread over the edge or outside the limits of something
5. firefighters (n)
a person whose job is to stop fires from burning
6. ventilate (v)
to cause fresh air to enter and move around a closed space
7. soar (v)
to rise very quickly to a high level
8. occur (v)
(especially of accidents and other unexpected events) to happen
QUESTIONS
- What was the falling chocolate the result of ?
- What kind of winds sprinkled the chocolate dust over the town?
- Who is Sarah Thallner?
- What kind of company is Oltner Tagblatt?
DISCUSSION
- Why do so many people love chocolate?
- What would you do if chocolate fell from the sky?
- How healthy or unhealthy is chocolate?
- What is the best thing that is made from chocolate?
- What would you like to fall from the sky?
