Dark side of dark chocolate: Toxic metals are found in EVERY bar tested by researchers in new report

Australia
By William

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They are often advertised as the healthy alternative.

But most dark chocolate actually contains toxic metals linked to a host of health problems.

Tests on 28 bars by popular brands including Hershey’s, Lindt and Tony’s Chocolonely revealed that they all contained lead and cadmium.

The heavy metals mixed with the plants, either through plants absorbing cadmium from the soil or lead-laden dust from car exhaust and power plants falling on the cocoa beans. while they dry.

The graph above shows the 28 chocolate bars analyzed by Consumer Reports, a New York-based nonprofit organization. All were found to contain lead and cadmium. Consumer Reports compared the levels of the heavy metal in about one ounce of chocolate to the daily exposure levels recommended by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. These are not established specifically for food products, but in general

The graph above shows the 28 chocolate bars analyzed by Consumer Reports, a New York-based nonprofit organization. All were found to contain lead and cadmium. Consumer Reports compared the levels of the heavy metal in about one ounce of chocolate to the daily exposure levels recommended by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. These are not established specifically for food products, but in general

Which dark chocolates were high in lead?

  • Hershey’sSlightly Sweet Dark Special Chocolate – 165% above;
  • chocolaveExtreme Dark Chocolate 88% Cocoa – 140% more;
  • huhOrganic Plain Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 110% more;
  • Trader JoeDark Chocolate 72% Cocoa – 92% more;
  • Endangered speciesBold and Silky Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa – 81% more;
  • lindtExcellence Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa – 66% more;
  • Chocolate, Strong dark chocolate 70% Cocoa – 52% more;
  • Godiva, Signature Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa – 46% more;
  • lily, Extra Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 44% more;
  • Tony’s Chocolonely, Dark chocolate 70% Cocoa – 34% more.

One ounce of chocolate from the bars was tasted. Lead levels were compared to daily exposures recommended by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Which dark chocolates were high in cadmium?

  • EasterOrganic Very Dark Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa – 153% more;
  • Alter egoOrganic Dark Chocolate Classic Blackout 85% Cocoa – 104% more;
  • beyond goodPure Organic Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa – 38% more
  • scharffen bergerExtra Dark Chocolate 82% Cocoa – 36% more;
  • equal exchangeOrganic Extra Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa – 20% more;
  • lindtExcellence Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 16% more;
  • beyond goodPure Organic Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 12% more;
  • PigeonPromises Deeper Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 12% more.

One ounce of chocolate from the bars was tasted. Lead levels were compared to daily exposures recommended by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

What chocolate bars are high in lead and cadmium?

  • green and blackOrganic Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 43% more lead and 81% more cadmium;
  • lilyExtremely Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa – 43% more lead and 1% more cadmium;
  • theoOrganic Extra Dark Pure Chocolate 85% Cocoa – 40% more lead and 89% more cadmium;
  • Trader JoeDark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cocoa – 27% more lead and 129% more cadmium;
  • theoOrganic Pure Dark 70% Cocoa – 20% more lead and 42% more cadmium.

One ounce of chocolate from the bars was tasted. Lead levels were compared to daily exposures recommended by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

What chocolate bars are not high in lead and cadmium?

  • MastOrganic Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa – 86% below lead and 60% below cadmium;
  • Cup of chocolateOrganic Deliciously Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa – 57% below lead and 26% below cadmium;
  • ghirardelliIntense Dark Chocolate 86% Cocoa – 64% below lead and 61% below cadmium;
  • ghirardelliIntense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight 72% Cocoa – 39% below lead and 4% below cadmium;
  • valrhonaAbinao Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa – 37% below lead and 27% below cadmium

One ounce of chocolate from the bars was tasted. Lead levels were compared to daily exposures recommended by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Lead is known to be dangerous to humans and can cause memory loss, abdominal pain, and moodiness in adults exposed repeatedly.

For children, the heavy metal can damage their brains and central nervous systems in high concentrations, leading to learning and behavior problems.

On the other hand, even low levels of cadmium exposure have been linked to kidney cancer and the development of brittle bones.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO LEAD

Lead exposure in children is often difficult to observe and has no immediate symptoms.

But if there is a suspicion that a child has been exposed, then parents should talk to their child’s health care provider about getting a blood test.

Lead is most harmful to children under the age of six because their bodies are still developing.

Kids:

– Damage to the brain and nervous system;

– Slow growth and development;

– Learning and behavior problems;

– Hearing and speech problems.

This can lead to:

– Reduced IQ;

– Decreased ability to pay attention;

– Poor performance in school.

Font: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

test by Consumer Reports — a nonprofit organization that represents consumers — was held with a 28-ounce dark chocolate bar.

There is no national limit for lead and cadmium in chocolate bars set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

But to determine if they contained dangerous levels, the nonprofit organization compared them to standards set by the local authority, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).

The standards, which are set for general exposure and not for food safety, say that people should not be exposed to more than 0.5 micrograms (mcg) of lead and 4.1 mcg of cadmium per day.

But a total of 23 of the bars tested (82 percent) contained lead levels up to two and a half times higher and cadmium levels up to three times higher.

Five bars contained more lead and cadmium than recommended limits: These bars were Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover 85 percent cacao, Green and Black’s 70 percent cacao organic dark chocolate, 85 percent ultra dark chocolate cent cocoa from Lily and two bars made by Theo’s.

Another ten bars contained more lead than recommended and eight bars contained more cadmium than allowed by California levels.

Only five bars, made by Ghirardelli, Valrhona, Taza Chocolate, and Mast, had less lead and cadmium than these levels.

The cadmium enters the cocoa beans of the parent plants, which absorb the metal from the soil.

But lead is mixed in during the manufacturing process, when industrial dust finds its way onto cocoa beans that are dried. The dust can come from car exhaust and power plant emissions, among others, experts say.

Consumer Reports experts said a single ounce of any of the chocolates, even those high in cadmium and lead, are unlikely to cause immediate harm.

But they warned that repeated exposure to these toxic metals poses a risk to people’s health.

About 15 percent of Americans eat chocolate every day, according to the market research firm Mintel.

Consumer Reports said it was possible for chocolate companies to reduce lead and cadmium concentrations in their products.

Several bars had levels of these heavy metals below the limits set in California, said Tunde Akinleye, a Consumer Reports food safety researcher.

“This shows that it is possible for companies to make products with lower amounts of heavy metals, and for consumers to find safer products that they enjoy,” he added.

Concerns about lead and cadmium levels may also extend to other chocolate products, including hot chocolate, brownies, and cake mixes.

The National Confectioners Association, speaking on behalf of chocolate manufacturers, said: ‘Dark chocolate can be enjoyed as a treat as it has been for centuries.

‘The products cited in this study meet strict quality and safety requirements.’

They added: ‘The OEHHA standards cited in the Consumer Reports study are not food safety standards.

“The products cited in this study meet strict quality and safety requirements, and the levels provided to us by Consumer Reports testing are well below the limits set by our agreement.”

DailyMail.com has contacted the FDA for comment.

IN RELATED NEWS…

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