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Are there heavy metals such as lead in your chocolate? Here’s what consumers need to know.

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Are there heavy metals such as lead in your chocolate?  Here's what consumers need to know.

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Many dark chocolate and cocoa products sold across the country contain levels of toxic heavy metals that exceed food safety guidelines, new research published Wednesday shows. Although the food industry and researchers involved say the findings should not deter people from eating chocolate, experts say it warrants further investigation.

Key facts

Researchers from George Washington University and ConsumerLab, a food and supplement testing company, examined the levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic in more than 70 dark chocolate and cocoa products purchased over the past eight years from retailers including Amazon, GNC and Whole Foods Market.

Their results, published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers of Nutrition, revealed that 43% of products exceeded acceptable levels of lead per serving and 35% exceeded acceptable levels of cadmium, according to California’s strict food guidelines.

The state guidelines are often used by researchers as a conservative safety benchmark when investigating heavy metal contamination in foods, as the Food and Drug Administration sets no limits for toxins, including cadmium and arsenic, and for others, such as lead, this only allowed to do for specific products such as candy or baby food.

None of the products tested exceeded California’s maximum arsenic level, and almost all of the products – 70 of 72, or 97% – had lead levels that fell below FDA limits for the metal.

The researchers said the heavy metals in the chocolate are unlikely to “pose any appreciable risk” if consumed in a single serving, but could be “potentially problematic” if consumed in multiple servings or if eaten with other products that may contain heavy substances. metals such as tea or spices.

In an emailed statement, the National Confectioners Association told Forbes: “chocolate and cocoa are safe to eat and can be enjoyed as a treat, as has been the case for centuries,” adding that “food safety and product quality are the organization’s to stay”. s “highest priorities.”

Which chocolate brands contain heavy metals?

According to the researchers, it is not clear which brands of dark chocolate and cocoa products had which levels of heavy metals in the study on purpose left the information out of the investigation. However, the products tested are likely to be well known to consumers, and the researchers said their aim was to assess heavy metal contamination in “the most popular cocoa-containing consumer products every year for a number of years to assess trends”, using consumer products. surveys to assess popularity.

Should I stop eating chocolate?

In short, no. According to the researchers, the amount of heavy metals found in the chocolate studied is unlikely to be “biologically significant” in itself, especially since most people are likely to consume the products relatively rarely and in small amounts. The findings suggest there is a need for better food standards and guidelines when it comes to heavy metal contamination, they said. “Heightened surveillance may also be warranted,” the researchers added, especially given the presence of outliers in the study with particularly high levels of infection. Further research into the potential impact of multiple streams of food contamination should also be conducted, the researchers said, as it is possible that there is ‘additive exposure’ that is problematic from multiple food sources.

Can I avoid exposure to heavy metals in food?

Also no. “You really can’t avoid exposure to heavy metals in your diet,” said Leigh Frame, lead author of the study and director of integrative medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, told NBC News. Heavy metals can naturally enter foods from soil and water during the growing process or at various points during packaging, drying, processing and transportation. Cocoa, rice, grains, potatoes and tobacco can be included cadmium from the soil, for example, and that can also be lead introduced in the production of cocoa products. Small amounts are not always dangerous and can be excreted from the body, for example through sweat and urine, but high concentrations can concentrate in the body and cause damage. Cadmium is carcinogenic in high concentrations – it can cause cancer – and can damage most body systems, including the lungs, bones and kidneys. The CDC say there are no safe levels of lead in the blood for children and the metal can disrupt the developing brain and damage the nervous system. But “it’s not really about avoiding them; it’s about making sure you don’t get too much,†Frame said. Eating a varied diet is one way to avoid exposure, as is limiting consumption of products known to contain relatively high concentrations. Frame added that “better quality control practices during harvest and production can also help solve the problem,” as can better supervision.

Surprising fact

Organic products were likely to have higher levels of cadmium and lead, the researchers found. “More striking, the number of trade certifications (e.g., non-GMO, Fairtrade) did not significantly change the levels of heavy metals in the products studied,” the researchers wrote.

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ForbesSome popular chocolate products contain ‘worrying’ levels of heavy metals, the report found