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Nov 05, 2023

Toxic heavy metals found in many chocolate bars: study

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Dark chocolate has long been seen as a healthy sweet — but a new report suggests that the treat might actually be harmful.

A new investigation by Consumer Reports found that dark chocolate bars may contain two heavy metals that are linked to a wide range of health problems.

The organization tested 28 dark chocolate bars from the following brands: Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Lindt, Dove, Godiva, Trader Joe's, Hu, Mast, Taza Chocolate, Valrhona, Beyond Good, Equal Exchange, Scharffen Berger, Alter Eco, Pascha, Tony's, Lily's, Chocolove, Endangered Species, Theo and Green & Black's.

Researchers found that all 28 chocolate bars contained cadmium, a natural element found in soil that ends up in cocoa beans; and lead, which contaminates the beans naturally through the environment.

The heavy metals have been linked to a variety of health issues such as lung issues, memory problems, cancer and even early death.

Lead specifically is well known to be dangerous to humans, with long-term exposure causing memory loss, high blood pressure, abdominal pain and low moods in adults, and brain damage and central nervous system damage leading to learning and behavioral problems in children.

Even just low levels of cadmium are considered cancer-causing and have been linked to kidney cancer and fragile bones, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the products didn't contain extremely high levels of the metals, they still had high enough levels for it to be a health concern, James Rogers, the director of food safety and testing at Consumer Reports, said.

For 23 of the 28 bars, eating just one ounce per day would put an adult over the level for at least one of the metals for harmful effects. Five of those bars were above those levels for both cadmium and lead. Five of the bars had relatively low levels of both.

Consumer Reports used California's maximum allowable dose level (MADL) of 0.5 micrograms of lead and 4.1 micrograms of cadmium to determine health risk levels.

Many of the chocolate bars with concerning levels had the word "organic" on the label, which doesn't guarantee that toxicity levels won't be high.

The National Confectioners Association, the industry trade group, argued that chocolate and cocoa are safe to eat and told TODAY in a statement that dark chocolate "can be enjoyed as treats as they have been for centuries."

"The products cited in this study are in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements," the statement continued.