lead and cadmium -Consumer Reports, a group that advocates for consumers, recently studied a variety of chocolate products and found concerning amounts of lead and cadmium in many of the products they examined.
One of the most well-known chocolate producers in the business, Hershey, has been the target of a call for action following this revelation.
The report, which was made public on Wednesday, states that in one-third of the chocolate products they recently tested, Consumer Reports discovered “concerning” levels of lead and cadmium. Sixteen of the 48 products from different manufacturers had levels of these heavy metals that could be harmful, according to research.
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Dark chocolate, milk chocolate bars, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and different brownie, chocolate cake, and hot chocolate mix recipes were all included in the study’s wide range of chocolate products. It’s worth noting that the only chocolate bars without an excessive metal content were milk ones, as they have fewer cocoa solids.
Products from a number of well-known brands, such as a Walmart dark chocolate bar and hot chocolate mix, Hershey’s and Droste cocoa powder, and Target semi-sweet chocolate chips, were among those with high levels of lead or cadmium. Furthermore, there was an excessive amount of heavy metal content in the hot chocolate mixes from Trader Joe’s, Nestle, and Starbucks.
Long-term exposure to lead & cadmium can cause major health issues, such as immune system suppression, kidney damage, and nervous system issues, according to Consumer Reports. These heavy metals put young children and pregnant women at higher risk.
The director of food policy at Consumer Reports, Brian Ronholm, said that Hershey ought to make a commitment to making its chocolate products safer for customers because it is a well-known & prominent brand. This happened after over 75,000 customers earlier signed a petition urging Hershey to lower the amount of heavy metals in its chocolate. Now, Consumer Reports is contacting the business again.
