For years and years, there has been an ongoing debate surrounding chocolate and whether it is associated with weight gain and should therefore not be a regular part of a healthy diet or if it is important for a good blood flow, low blood pressure, and healthy heart so we should make sure there is enough of it in our diet.
As noted on Awareness Act, a report from As You Sow warns customers to be careful when choosing their next dessert or treat because it may be supplying them with dangerous substances. Let us learn more about the report and its findings.
Chocolate Contains Questionable Ingredients
The group did laboratory tests with the goal to assess the ingredients found in 70 distinct types of chocolate products and they compared the level of lead and cadmium in the products with the safe threshold stated by the California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 and discovered that 45 of the 70 chocolates had unsafe levels, i.e. high amounts of lead and cadmium and can be considered toxic.
After the tests, the group filed legal notices against the manufacturers of the products with toxic levels of lead and cadmium, including Theo Chocolate, Godiva, Mondelez, Earth Circle, Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Hershey’s, See’s Candies, Ghiradelli, Lindt, and Equal Exchange.
Lead Exposure & Its Dangerous Effects
Exposure to lead is a serious problem and no level of it is safe for children. It has been linked with learning problems, seizures, and reduction in IQ, as well as liver, bones, and kidney damage and poor neurobehavioral development. Lead and cadmium, as explained on Awareness Act, are classified as reproductive toxins. Below, check out the list with the most dangerous chocolates out there that you should avoid!
The Chocolate Brands with the Highest Level of Lead & Cadmium
- Bissinger’s All Natural 60 percent Dark Chocolate Whole Almonds- Lead
- Organic Balinese Cacao Nibs Cold Pressed by Earth Circle- Cadmium
- Ghirardelli’s Intense Dark 72 percent Cacao Twilight Delight Chocolate Bar- Cadmium and their Chocolate Premium Baking Bar 100 percent Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate- Lead and Cadmium
- Godiva’s Chocolatier 50 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate Sea Salt- Lead, their Chocolatier 85 percent Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate- Lead and Cadmium, and their Chocolatier 72 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate- Lead and Cadmium
- Hershey’s Scharffen Berger Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate 62 percent cacao- Cadmium and the Extra Dark Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate 82 percent cacao- Cadmium
- Dagoba’s Organic New Moon Rich Dark Chocolate 74 percent Cacao- Lead and Cadmium
- Lake Champlain’s Chocolates Dark Chocolate 57 percent cocoa- Lead and Cadmium
- Lindt & Sprungli Inc.’s Lindt Excellence 85 percent Cocoa Extra Dark- Lead and Cadmium
- Mars’s Dove Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar- Cadmium
- Mondelez’s International Green & Black’s Organic 85 percent Cacao Bar- Lead and Cadmium
- Moonstruck Chocolate Co.’s Dark Chile Variado 68 percent cacao-Lead
- See’s Candies, Inc.’s Premium Extra Dark Chocolate 62 percent cacao- Cadmium
- The Kroger Co.’s Private Selection 72 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate Swiss Bar- Lead & Cadmium
- Theo Chocolate’s Organic Fair Trade Pure 85 percent Dark Chocolate- Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Swiss 72 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate- Lead, their Dark Chocolate Bar Toffee with Walnuts and Pecans 70 percent Cacao- Lead, their Pound Plus Dark Chocolate-Lead, their Pound Plus 72 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate- Lead, their Dark Chocolate 73 percent Cacao Super Dark-Lead and Cadmium, and their Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar 85 percent cacao- Lead and Cadmium
- Vosges, Ltd. Wild’s Ophelia All Natural New Orleans Chili Dark Chocolate Bar 70 percent cacao-Lead
- Whole Foods Market, Inc.’s 365 Everyday Value Organic Dark Chocolate 56 percent Cacao- Lead and Cadmium