The majority of chocolate products tested were found to have at least some heavy metals. However, the levels weren’t high enough to warrant a warning law in California law.
From 2017 to 2021, George Washington University researchers tested 72 chocolate and cocoa-containing products. They discovered that 43% of these products contained lead at levels above the threshold for Prop 65.
Another 35% were over the recommended cadmium intake. The report was released this week in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
However, the study revealed that 70 of the 72 cocoa-based products tested met or were below lead contamination allowances established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The researchers noted that the servings were not necessarily dangerous on their own, but consumptions of more than 40 grams could exceed California’s stringent limits. For chocolate, it should be 1 ounce to 2 ounces (30 gm to 60 gm).
“If contaminated products as a whole are consumed in small amounts and infrequently by most, these contaminants may not be a public health concern,” the study reads. “In contrast, if many such products are consumed fairly regularly by the average consumer, the additive exposure may be a public health concern.”
This is not the first time consumer groups and independent test agencies have reported heavy metal contamination in cocoa products like dark chocolate, attributing it to factors such as soil type where cocoa grows, as well as industrial processing.
