Does your favourite chocolate have lead and cadmium in it? Here's what a test found

Consumer Reports called on Hershey (HSY.N) to lower the levels of heavy metals in its chocolate on Wednesday after discovering “concerning” levels of lead and cadmium in one-third of the various chocolate products it recently tested.

16 of the 48 goods from different manufacturers that the non-profit consumer group’s scientists evaluated had potentially dangerous amounts of lead, cadmium, or both.

Seven product categories were assessed by Consumer Reports: chocolate chips, cocoa powder, dark and milk chocolate bars, brownie, chocolate cake, and hot chocolate mix.

Products found to contain excessive metal content included a dark chocolate bar and hot chocolate mix from Walmart (WMT.N), cocoa powder from Hershey’s and Droste, semi-sweet chocolate chips from Target (TGT.N), and hot chocolate mixes from Trader Joe’s, Nestle (NESN.S) and Starbucks (SBUX.O).

The only chocolate bars without an elevated metal content were milk chocolate bars, which have less cocoa solids.

According to Consumer Reports, prolonged exposure to the metals can cause harm to the kidneys, immune system suppression, and neurological system disorders, with pregnant women and young children being most at risk.

According to the organisation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that while producers and processors are still in charge of guaranteeing the safety of their products, experts worldwide view chocolate as a “minor source of exposure” to lead and cadmium.

Consumer Reports discovered in December that 23 of 28 dark chocolate bars it tested had excessive levels of lead or cadmium. This investigation was conducted on Wednesday in response to those results.

As a “leading and popular brand,” Hershey ought to pledge to make its chocolate safer, according to Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. On Wednesday, the organisation did not request the same pledge from other manufacturers.

Lead and cadmium are elements found in soil and can naturally appear in chocolate products, according to Hershey Chief Financial Officer Steve Voskuil, who stated in March that his business was seeking to lower levels of these elements.

“We would love to eradicate it completely,” Voskuil said.

More than 75,000 customers signed a previous petition, according to Consumer Reports, asking Hershey to lower the amount of heavy metals in their chocolate. The group is now re-petitioning the firm.

Hershey forwarded the National Confectioners Association’s request for comment.

“Chocolate and cocoa are safe to eat and can be enjoyed as treats as they have been for centuries,” said Christopher Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the trade group.

(With agency inputs)