Study Heavy metals, including lead, found in many dark chocolate bars (Jul 2024) A multi-year heavy metal analysis of 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products in the USA

Michael Harrop

Active member
Joined
Jul 6, 2023
Messages
773
Location
USA
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/heavy-metals-lead-found-many-dark-chocolate-bars-rcna163516
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/31/well/eat/dark-chocolate-heavy-metals.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/31/health/cacao-dark-chocolate-lead-heavy-metals-wellness/index.html

The research, led by scientists at George Washington University and published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Nutrition, examined over 70 dark chocolate products from retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Amazon and GNC. The products were tested to see whether the heavy metals lead, cadmium or arsenic were in them.

43% of the products studied exceeded acceptable levels of lead and 35% exceeded cadmium levels, according to the study, which was based on a California law that sets maximum allowable dose levels for heavy metals in food.

There is no safe level of lead.

None of the products exceeded the maximum level for arsenic.

limiting consumption is the only sure way to reduce exposure. Researchers agree that avoiding heavy metals entirely in our diet is nearly impossible. Foods such as rice, fish, fruits and vegetables have been known to contain varying amounts of metals.

The authors intentionally left out which brands had what concentrations of metals given that levels could vary even within the same company. Interestingly, the study found that organic cocoa products were more likely to have higher levels of cadmium and lead. Products certified as “fair trade” did not have lower levels of heavy metals.

a big unknown with the paper is how the heavy metals got into the chocolate products in the first place. “Is it the processing, the farming or the type of soil or the fertilizer or any other farming process that they’re using?” he asked. “We are left not being sure where the metal actually entered the food chain.”

Previous research has found that lead and cadmium can enter dark chocolate through different ways. Cadmium comes primarily through the cacao plant’s taking it up from the soil, while lead can be introduced at various points in the manufacturing process, including the harvesting, drying and fermenting of the cocoa bean.

the metals are believed to come from the cocoa powder itself, which is present in higher levels in dark chocolate

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1366231/full

Introduction: Contamination of cocoa containing products, such as dark chocolate, with heavy metals including lead, cadmium and arsenic has been reported in the US. However, a formal exploration into the significance of this contamination, nor multi-year trends in the degree or scope remain unresolved.


Methods: From 2014 to 2022, 72 consumer cocoa-containing products were purchased and analyzed for heavy metal contamination with lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) in 4 distinct cohorts (2014, 2016, 2019, 2022). The thresholds used to assess heavy metal contamination were set to Prop 65 maximum allowable dose levels (MADLs) of 0.5 mcg/day, 4.1 mcg/day, 10 mcg/day for Pb, Cd, and As, respectively.


Results and discussion: Our analysis reports that 43, 35, and 0% of the products tested exceed Prop 65 MADLs for heavy metal concentrations, respectively, of Pb, Cd, and As, while 97.2% (70 of 72) fall below US FDA IRL limits established for Pb. Median concentrations of each metal tested were lower than even the conservative Prop 65 MADLs, indicating a potentially large effect of product outliers. This indicates that heavy metal contamination—in more than half of products tested—may not pose any appreciable risk for the average person when consumed as a single serving; however, consuming some of the products tested, or more than one serving per day in combination with non-cocoa derived sources heavy metals, may add up to exposure that would exceed the Prop 65 MADLs. Notably, “organic” products were significantly more likely to demonstrate higher levels of both Cd and Pb.
 
Format correct?
  1. Yes
Back
Top