Is Your Chocolate Contaminated With Toxic Metals?

By As You Sow — Responding to published research showing high levels of heavy metals in commonly eaten food items, As You Sow began extensive independent laboratory testing of 42 chocolate products for lead and cadmium. We found that 26 of the chocolate products (~62%) contain lead and/or cadmium at levels in which one serving exceeds the California safe harbor level for reproductive harm.

We filed notices with 16 manufacturers, including See’s, Mars, Hershey, Lindt, Godiva, Whole Foods, and others, for failing to provide required warnings to consumers that their chocolate products contain lead, cadmium, or both.

No level of lead is safe for children.

Lead exposure has been a significant public health issue for decades and is associated with neurological impairment, such as learning disabilities and lower IQ, even at low levels. “No amount of lead ingestion is ‘safe’ for children,” states Sean Palfrey, MD, a pediatrician and professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at Boston University School of Medicine. “Pregnant women and young children with developing brains in particular should avoid any ingestion of lead.”

Cadmium is also known to cause reproductive harm.

Chronic exposure to cadmium has been to kidney, liver, and bone damage in humans. Children are more susceptible to exposure effects from low doses of cadmium over time. Companies are not doing enough to keep their products safe and below California’s safe harbor level for reproductive harm for these toxic heavy metals.

California law ensures consumers receive warnings.

To protect consumers, companies should take immediate steps to remove these toxic heavy metals from their products or, at a minimum, to warn according to the California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. If the heavy metals are not removed, people need to be informed so they can protect themselves and their families.

Consumers’ input is important to food manufacturers and we, as consumers, should make companies aware that we take this issue seriously. Investors should also consider potential risk if they own shares of these companies.

See the products we tested in the tables below.

CHOCOLATE WARNING REQUIRED

MANUFACTURER	PRODUCT	WARNING REQUIRED
Bissinger’s	Bissinger’s All Natural 60% Dark Chocolate Whole Almonds	Lead
Earth Circle Foods dba River Canyon Retreat Inc.	Earth Circle Organics Organic Balinese Cacao Nibs Cold Pressed	Cadmium
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72% Cacao Twilight Delight Chocolate Bar	Cadmium
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Bar 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate	Lead & Cadmium
Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.	Godiva Chocolatier 50% Cacao Dark Chocolate Sea Salt	Lead
	Godiva Chocolatier 85% Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate	Lead & Cadmium
	Godiva Chocolatier 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate	Lead & Cadmium
The Hershey Company (dba Artisan Confections Company)	Scharffen Berger Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate (62% cacao)	Cadmium
	Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate (82% cacao)	Cadmium
	Dagoba Organic New Moon Rich Dark Chocolate (74% cacao)	Lead & Cadmium
Lake Champlain Chocolates	Lake Champlain Chocolates Dark Chocolate (57% cocoa)	Lead & Cadmium
Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc.	Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Excellence Extra Dark	Lead & Cadmium
Mars, Incorporated	Dove Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar	Cadmium
Mondelez International, Inc.	Green & Black’s Organic 85% Cacao Bar	Lead & Cadmium
Moonstruck Chocolate Co.	Moonstruck Dark Chocolate Chile Variado (68% cacao)	Lead
See’s Candies, Inc.	See’s Candies Premium Extra Dark Chocolate (62% cacao)	Cadmium
The Kroger Co.	Private Selection 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Swiss Bar	Lead & Cadmium
Theo Chocolate	Theo Organic Fair Trade Pure 85% Dark Chocolate	Cadmium
Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Swiss 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate	Lead
	Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar – Toffee With Walnuts and Pecans 70% cacao	Lead
	Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate	Lead
	Trader Joe’s Pound Plus, 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate	Lead
	Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao Super Dark	Lead & Cadmium
	Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar (85% cacao)	Lead & Cadmium
Vosges, Ltd.	Wild Ophelia All Natural New Orleans Chili – Dark Chocolate Bar (70% cacao)	Lead
Whole Foods Market, Inc.	365 Everyday Value Organic Dark Chocolate (56% Cacao)	Lead & Cadmium

NO CHOCOLATE WARNING REQUIRED

MANUFACTURER	PRODUCT	WARNING REQUIRED
Albertson’s, LLC (SuperValu, Inc.)	Wild Harvest Organic Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix	No warning required
DeMet’s Candy Company	Flipz 50% cacao Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels	No warning required
Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC	Endangered Species Natural Dark Chocolate (72% cocoa)	No warning required
Ferrero USA Inc.	Ferrero Collection Fine assorted Confections	No warning required
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghiradelli Intense Dark Midnight Reverie (86% Cacao)	No warning required
The Hershey Company	Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate	No warning required
The Hershey Company	Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups	No warning required
Jo’s Candies	Jo’s Candies Dark Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers “All Natural”	No warning required
Kraft Foods Group, Inc.	Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate Bar with Honey and Almond Nougat	No warning required
Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc.	Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt Dark (with Fleur de Sel sea salt crystals)	No warning required
Mars, Incorporated	Snickers	No warning required
Mars, Incorporated	CocoaVia Daily Cocoa Extract Supplement	No warning required
Mondelez International, Inc.	Green & Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate (34% Cacao)	No warning required
Nestle Holdings, Inc.	Nestle Crunch	No warning required
Nestle Holdings, Inc.	Ovaltine Classic Malt Mix	No warning required
Starbucks Corporation	Starbucks Dark Chocolate Covered Grahams	No warning required

As You Sow, a consumer health protection organization, commissioned an independent state-certified laboratory to measure levels of lead and cadmium in 42 chocolate products available at retailers across California. The charts indicate whether, pursuant to test results, the product requires a warning under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.

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Steven Peters

Owner & Publisher at Natural Revolution

Steven Peters has been a health advocate for more than a decade and proponent for alternative healing by ‘Empowering Natural Living’ through homeopathic approaches. He is also an activist for social justice and environmental causes in the GMO Labeling and Non-GMO grassroots movements across the country, and a staunch advocate for cannabis education and reform.

Read more about Steven Peters.