We all love chocolate, but the latest Consumer Reports’ exposé reveals that about one in every three chocolate products contains unacceptably high levels of the toxic heavy metals cadmium and lead. These elements work wonderfully in batteries; not so well in your food or in your body. The lead in tainted chocolate is most dangerous for the nervous systems of growing children and the fetuses growing within pregnant women. Cadmium accumulates in the body and leads to weakened bones and kidney damage.

Lead lands on the cocoa beans during processing. Cadmium originates from the soil in which the cocoa plants grow. Ultimately, both toxins end up in all chocolate products, but in some more than others. Then too, chocolate also contains some mercury and arsenic.

Consumer Reports uses California’s Prop 65 maximal allowable levels of cadmium and lead in foods to define which products are unacceptably risky if consumed repeatedly.

Dark chocolate contains the highest heavy metal levels with 82% of dark chocolate bars missing the California safety limits. Some bars contained metal levels in the so-called safe range including Divine 70%, Sam’s Choice 85%, Ghirardelli 86% and 72%, Mast 80%, Tara 70%, and Valrhona Abinao 85%.

Then the most toxic dark chocolate bars. The highest in cadmium was Sam’s Choice 70%. The highest in lead were Perugina bars. The highest in both cadmium and lead was Evolved Signature 72%.

Turning to chocolate chips, Hu Dark Chocolate Gems and Target’s Good & Gather contained too much lead. None of the chips had excess cadmium.

Cocoa powder? Avoid Hersey’s and Droste but Navitas, Nestle, Better Body, and 365 Whole Foods are in a safe range.

Hot chocolate? Avoid Nestle, Trader Joes, Starbucks, and Great Value-Walmart, but Ghirardelli and Swiss Miss are ok.

All the brownie mixes except for Ghirardelli are ok. Among the cake mixes, avoid Bob’s Red Mill and Simple Mills.

Bottom line: moderate your dark chocolate intake and buy the brands with the least metallic content.

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/a-third-of-chocolate-products-are-high-in-heavy-metals-a4844566398/

#chocolate #lead #cadmium #darkchocolate #milkchocolate #cocoapowder #hotchocolate #brownies