Consumer Reports authored a letter accompanied by 55,000 signatures urging 4 chocolate producers to reduce the amount of lead and cadmium in their dark chocolate. In the letter written to Hershey Co, Mondelez International Inc, Trader Joe’s and Theo Chocolate, the authors state that long term exposure to these toxic metals can result in immune system suppression, nervous system problems, and kidney damage. They state the risk is greater in pregnant women and in small children due to the risk of developmental problems associated with metal exposure. Tunde Akinleye, the CR food safety researcher who lead this project, noted that consistent long term exposure to even small amounts of heavy metals can affect brain development and lower IQ.
Consumer Reports stated that 23 of the 28 dark chocolate bars it tested had potentially harmful levels of lead, cadmium, or both, for people who consume more than one ounce of chocolate per day. Five of the bars tested had very elevated levels of both metals, with some surpassing the recommended limits by 229%. All of the 28 bars tested detected some levels of both lead and cadmium.
Consumer Reports highlights that many people consume dark chocolate for it’s advertised health benefits, such as it’s high antioxidant levels and reported heart health benefits, but of course “there’s nothing healthy about ingesting heavy metals”, they urge.
Trader Joe’s has been sued at least 9 times over it’s dark chocolate since the Consumer Report release, as have other chocolate makers such as Hershey’s Mondelez, Godiva, and Lindt.
Akinleye noted that we need not swear off dark chocolate entirely. He added that while all the bars had detectible levels of the metals, five of them had relatively low levels indicating that its possible for companies to make products with lower amounts of heavy metals and that consumers can find safer products that they enjoy.
The researchers safer choices are: Mast Organic Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa, Taza Chocolate Organic Deliciously Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao, Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate 86% Cacao, Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight 72% Cacao, and Valrhona Abinao Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao.
So What Causes Lead and Cadmium in Chocolate Anyways?
Chocolate is made up from 2 main components derived from the cocoa bean: cocoa solids, and cocoa butter. Dark chocolates reported health benefits stem from the cocoa solids which are packed with flavanols.
These are the antioxidants which are linked to improved blood vessel function, lowered cholesterol, and reduced inflammation. Unfortunately the cocoa solids are also where the heavy metals are found. This makes it tricky to balance the risks with the benefits of consuming dark chocolate.
Additionally, lead and cadmium get into cocoa in different ways, which means this problem requires a multi faceted solution. Michael J. DiBartolomeis PHD, a toxicologist and former official at the California Department of Public Health who has researched heavy metals in chocolate, studied this issue multiple times between 2019 and 2022. Their studies indicated that the cacao plants take up cadmium from the soil with metals accumulating as the plant grows, which is similar to how metals contaminate other foods, such as rice. Lead however seems to get onto the bean after it’s harvested and set out to ferment in the sun for days. An accumulation of lead dust on the surface of the beans are to blame here.
“We collected beans on the ground that were heavily loaded with lead on the outer shell,” DiBartolomeis says.
The National Confectioners Association, who funded the research into the metals, stated that reducing lead could happen within a year of implementing better practices. Reducing cadmium may take longer, as this requires soil remediation, genetic engineering, or a mixture of both. Some manufacturers mix high metal cacao with low metal cacao in order to reduce the overall metal burden.
DiBartolomeis says that while he cautions pregnant people and children from eating dark chocolate he does not tell most people to give it up, just to simply know what you’re consuming and don’t overdo it. Consider supporting those companies who make safer choices for their customers!
