For me, it isn't a concern about upsetting readers or avoiding someone's latest thin-skinned pet peeve. I don't mind writing about a woman having dark chocolate skin; I think it's a beautiful image and many of this world's beauties fit it well. But I will admit reading a few articles by people who dislike the trend (and yes, fail to note the ample examples honey-colored or peaches-and-cream skin, or honey, corn-silk or strawberry hair) and those got me thinking about it. Is that my only palette? I would like to have a wider choice. Especially since non-Caucasian colors seems to be nearly all food (with the exception of mahogany), while Caucasian colors also get wood, stone, non-food plants and such.

It might be my marriage of nearly thirty years to a non-Caucasian (she's Filipina) that makes me think about this. I do have "obsidian" (or "onyx") for her eyes (she has the darkest brown eyes I have ever seen, and that is not hyperbole. You have to get up very close to see they aren't actually black) and "coal" for her hair. Even after this long though, the best word I can find for her skin-tone is "cinnamon". Get away from deep black tones, and you go straight to food.
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Regards,
Eric Fretheim
Assistant Prep Leader, 2015 October NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge

"It is perfectly okay to write garbage-- as long as you edit brilliantly." ~C.J. Cherryh

“No, writing 50,000 words in a month is normal. You are not crazy. This is not insane.” ~Teri Brown