Some researchers are now warning of heavy metal levels in some dark chocolate bars.
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David Izquierdo/500px Plus/Getty Images
Some researchers are now warning of heavy metal levels in some dark chocolate bars.
David Izquierdo/500px Plus/Getty Images
Dark chocolate has long been touted as having health benefits. We have been Told It can improve our mood, decrease inflammation and even increase blood flow.
But some researchers are now warning about the presence of heavy metals in some of our favorite dark chocolate bars.
consumer reports 28 dark chocolate bars, including Dove, Ghirardelli, Lindt and Hershey’s, tested for lead and cadmium. For 23 of these bars, an ounce of chocolate violates California law maximum allowable doses (MADL) for lead or cadmium, which are 0.5 micrograms and 4.1 micrograms per day, respectively, according to the publication.
The typical chocolate bar ranges from 1.5 ounces to 3.5 ounces.
The California boundaries set by Proposition 65 are among the most protective in the country, according to Consumer Reports. The United States Food and Drug Administration Offers more flexible recommendations for daily lead intake at 2.2 micrograms for children and 8.8 micrograms for women of childbearing age.
As examples cited by Consumer Reports, one ounce of Lindt’s Excellence Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa or Dove’s Promises Deeper Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa exceeds acceptable cadmium levels, while one ounce of Godiva’s Signature Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa or Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate Exceeds acceptable lead levels.
Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s 85% cocoa chocolate had lead and cadmium levels higher than the California limits. Trader Joe’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The National Association of Confectioners, which this chocolate makers including Hershey’s, Lindt and Godiva struck a deal in 2018 with as you sowa group that advocates the application of Proposition 65. The settlement established focus levels for lead and cadmium which require warning labels if exceeded. The association maintains that the industry has adhered to the levels established by the regulations.
“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 established by our regulations,” the spokesperson said. the agency, Christopher Gindlesperger. “Food safety and product quality remain our top priorities and we remain committed to being transparent and socially responsible.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine toxicologist Andrew Stolbach told NPR that MADLs should be “very conservative” to account for people at higher risk due to age and other medical conditions. When chocolate is consumed in moderation, lead and cadmium levels aren’t of concern, he says.
“The safe levels for lead and cadmium are set to be very protective, and exceeding them by a modest amount is not something to worry about,” he said. “If you make sure the rest of your diet is good and sufficient in calcium and iron, you protect yourself even more by preventing the absorption of some of the lead and cadmium in your diet.”
Important cadmium exposure may cause lung cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm, while important lead exposure can stunt the growth and development of children and damage the brain and nervous system.
But consumer reports The tests proved that it is also possible for the dark chocolate bars to maintain low levels of heavy metals, as five of the 28 bars had lead and cadmium levels within California limits.
The settlement between the confectioners’ association and As You Sow, an organization that promotes corporate social responsibility, required both parties to undertake a multi-year study to understand the root causes of heavy metals in chocolate and strategies to reduce these. levels. The report discuss the results of a three-year study published in August.
Researchers have found that the cadmium in cocoa beans comes naturally from the soil and is directly transported to the beans by the cocoa tree. Lead contamination occurs post-harvest, when moist cocoa beans are exposed to soil and dust during the drying, fermentation and transportation phases.
“The industry should communicate to farmers the value of implementing better agricultural practices related to reducing the moist contact of cocoa beans with the soil during fermentation and drying,” wrote Timothy Ahn, co-author of the report who manages food safety at Lloyd’s Register. “Drying wet beans in direct contact with soil, road surfaces and concrete patios should be discontinued as a farmer controllable Pb (lead) reduction activity.”
According to co-author and toxicologist Michael DiBartolomeis, reducing contact of moist cocoa beans with soil and dust can reduce lead in chocolate from 10% to more than 25%.
Other ways to reduce heavy metal levels include mixing high-cadmium cocoa beans with those with lower levels, identifying areas of contamination and performing more robust tests, according to the report. ‘As You Sow.
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