A/N: So this is something that I've had of an in-depth discussion with a friend of mine. Food is something of an issue that usually gets glossed over in fanfics. And understandably so, food outside of the meat-vegetable divide is almost pointless to go to detail on. But I have read some fanfics where it does scratch my head, usually with Nick drinking this, or Judy eating that. And then you wonder, aren't they poisonous or I'm pretty sure they can kill our beloved main characters.

So with that, I've come up with this documentafic… sorta. It may not be as in-depth but the point of this is to raise awareness… I guess. I've done my share of reading and I have added more food and consumable items for future discussion. Basically, I've given my insight and put my idea on what place do these food items have in Zootopia, if there are any. Feel free to add other food items worth mentioning. Of course, if there are some inaccurate information, do point it out in the review section :).

Chocolate

Nick Wilde's shift was finally over. He stood in front of a vending machine, looking at all the assortment of candy bars like a kit in a candy store. There were the nutty bars, granola bars and all those sweet treats, but the one he looked forward to the most was a blueberry flavored chocolate bar.

"Come to papa." Nick said as he inserted the last coin in the coin slot. He pressed the button that labelled the treat of his choice. The coil that tangled the bar began to unwound until it soon fell down the dispenser.

An audible thud, Nick picked up the chocolate bar, a smile crept on his face. He slowly unwrapped the bar. He slowly opened his mouth as the bar slowly approaches his mouth.

Slowly…

"NNNOOOOO!"

Things seemed to go on slow motion as a foot paw kick the bar out of nick's paws. The chocolate bar flew away as it coincidentally landed unceremoniously in the trash can.

"Hey! I was eat-" A paw met his lips, effectively sealing it. Nick's eyes met with a familiar badger wearing a doctor's coat, the badger shushing him.

"Aren't yo-"

"Hi, I'm Doctor Madge Honey Badger." The badger replied excitedly, but to Nick's confusion, the badger was not facing him at all but something to her right, which there was nothing to look at. "Some of you may remember me as the doctor that assisted Mayor Lionheart from keeping the public from knowing about the predators going savage."

Nick looked to his left and to his right. "Uhm… who are you talking t-"

"But today, I'm going to talk to you about something important. Something that's near and dear to my heart. Food."

Nick was now raising his brow. "Food?"

"Yes, hard-working citizen. Food. You see, food is something that is almost taken for granted in this wonderful society we call Zootopia."

The badger's attention focused on the trash bin that now housed the dislodged chocolate bar. She quickly approached the can and carefully lifted the bar of chocolate.

"This right here, could've killed you."

"A chocolate bar?" Nick asked.

"Oh yes…"

…

Did you know that death by chocolate is one the leading causes of death in this city. As a concerned citizen, I once lobbied to have chocolate be labelled as illegal substance a few years ago. Unfortunately, then Mayor Lionheart wanted to appease citizens who enjoyed the tasty treat and since I worked directly under him, well…. Not everyone can enjoy the tasty treat however. The chocolate bar… delicious… sweet… a silent killer, doing its evil work on the inside.

…

Nick looked at the chocolate bar held by Dr. Badger. "Hold up! If chocolate is so dangerous, then why openly display it in…"

"I'm glad you asked. Let me explain by starting off on ancient times… :3"

…

It all started back in the primal ages when predator and prey were still primitive. But as we began to evolve and form societies, our habits changed, and so to did our diets. Predators, for example, switched from prey to insects as their primary source of protein. But just because our diets change, does not mean our bodies immediately adapt to those changes. Evolution, after all, is an… evolutionary step. We've possibly developed more tolerance to certain foods, but we're not yet in stage where we can share the same food with different species. Evolution is constant. We are in a state of constant adjustment.

Now back to the topic on paw. Chocolate contains the chemical theobromine which cannot be digestively processed by a number of animals in Zootopia. These furry animals include but are not limited to vulpine creatures, lupine creatures, feline creatures, and so on. Even mustelids such as myself are at risk.

…

The badger slowly approached Nick's long ear. "Chocolate is even poisonous to your bunny friend." She whispered. "Which begs the question, chocolate bunnies? What's up with that?"

"Seriously, are you… stalking me?" Nick was beginning to be spooked by her.

"No… I've been hiding in the trash can. You flirt a lot with the bunny." Madge replied.

Nick was slowly walking backwards, away from the badger until he reached an intersecting corridor. He slowly walked until he was out of view of the badger. The sound of the rush of pitter-patter of paw steps could be heard soon after.

"I suppose we can continue without the fox. Shall we?" The badger gave a huge grin.

…

Theobromine poisoning is a serious complication arising from the consumption of chocolate. Thankfully, our hospitals are equipped with filtering machines that isolates the compound and removes it from the mammal host.

The process is similar to dialysis.

Now some of you may ask. If theobromine is so dangerous, why not just remove the compound from chocolate?

That's a good question, but that would like asking to remove a vital organ from a mammal. Harvesting theobromine usually involves destroying the chocolate through various processes. A quick search at Zoogle would reveal the process to be tedious, but easily done in a lab. (See "Determination of Theobromine in Cocoa Residues")

…

"Some food items are safe for consumption by some animals, while some are unsafe. The food industry in Zootopia can be a tricky thing, a juggling act that is just as important as the social issues of the predator-prey divide."

Madge holds a white chocolate bar clear to view and points to a label at the back of the wrapper. "It's important to check the label at the back to see if the food item is safe for consumption for your species." She then takes a bite off the chocolate bar.

"Wait a minute?" The badger looks to see Nick return. "I thought you said that chocolate was dangerous."

The badger chewed and swallowed. She did so, while nodding to the red fox. "I did, but not all chocolate are made equal."

…

As you know, there are three common kinds of chocolate that you usually see in your stores. Dark chocolate contains more theobromine than milk chocolate and is therefore very toxic to mammals like us. A rule of thumb for chocolate is that the darker the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains. That's because dark chocolate and milk chocolate have cocoa in them.

That said, white chocolate is a whole other story. White chocolate contains near zero theobromine content if not at all and is therefore safe for consumption to mammals such as ourselves. In fact some would argue that white chocolate isn't chocolate at all. White chocolate's main ingredient is cocoa butter, which contains trace amounts of theobromine. But does it matter? It's delicious, sweet, but definitely no silent killer.

…

"So in the grand scheme of things, there is a silver lining to everything. Who says we can't have our chocolate and eat it too?"

"Oookay? I'm pretty sure that's not what the guy meant when he said that." Nick replied.

"Hey Nick!"

Nick turned to see Judy coming towards him.

"What are you doing standing all by your lonesome?" Judy asked.

"My lonesome? I thought you bunnies have good eyesight. I'm with Dr. Badg-" Nick looked back in disbelief to see that the badger he was talking with just disappeared.

"You were saying?" Asked Judy.

"Uhm… Nevermind. So what brings you here, Fluff?" Nick asked.

"My stomach's a little empty. Thought I could maybe buy a candy bar."

Nick could have sworn that the trash can moved. Slowly, he noticed the small head of the badger emerge slightly from the bin, her eyes glaring at the fox. The fox gulped. "Uhmmm… try the white chocolate one." Nick suggested. "I hear it's… pretty safe." Nick added.

"Oookay." Judy inserted the change needed to secure the chocolate treat. The dessert fell down at the dispenser. It was a chocolate egg. Basically chocolate housed in a plastic shell. Judy popped the shell. "Hmm… it's a chocolate bunny."

"What will they think of next?" The fox replied.

…

The badger looks to the fox and rabbit by the candy bar vending machine, smiling that she's done her part in educating the public.

"Now that was a successful orientation to that law-abiding fox. On our next chapter, we'll discuss another food item that is also the cause of confusion that's led to many deaths and near deaths. I'm talking to you… coffee. Once again, this is Dr. Madge Honey Badger, doctor and concerned citizen, signing off."