At the tail end of last year, Consumer Reports published a study that rocked the dark chocolate world. Our favorite chocolate brands were reported to have dangerous levels of heavy metal in them. In the last few months, we were asked questions about our chocolate which propelled us into further study. Since we love dark chocolate, we wanted to make sure that we had our facts straight.

What We Know

Lead and Cadmium, the dangerous metals found in 23 of the 28 tested bars, can have adverse effects on the human body if overly consumed. The challenge that is poses to dark chocolate makers is the question, “Is dark chocolate actually healthy for you?” Although dark chocolate has been known to have a rich supply of antioxidants, improve heart health, and has a low level of sugar, the discovery of these metals in our favorite chocolate bars can have us questioning whether it is worth the risk.

Here is what we know about lead and cadmium:

Cadmium comes from the soil where the cacao grows.

Lead can appear in cacao after the beans have been harvested. This means that during the process of harvesting lead could settle and be integrated into the product.

A study done by the Food and Drug Administration in 2018 found that dark chocolate averaged 7.6 micrograms of cadmium and 0.8 g micrograms of lead per one ounce serving. In comparison to 300 other foods, dark chocolate ranked third in having the highest concentrations of bother cadmium and lead.

The daily cadmium intake, as reported by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, is about 6 micrograms for a 130-pound person. Although there is no established minimum intake level of lead, FDA does have a recommended maximum for lead detected in candy. Dark chocolate comes consistently below that minimum.

However, we can understand the concerns and the questions. No level of cadmium or lead is safe to ingest, so what should we do?

Steps for Enjoying Chocolate

As with anything, everything is better in moderation. Metals are not just found in chocolate, but in other foods, in the air, etc. We can’t live life excluding what is good, but we can be thoughtful about how we take it in.

General rule of thumb is to consume more than one ounce of chocolate per day. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consider having a chocolate treat just one or two times a week. If you have kids, consider giving them milk chocolate instead because of the lower level of cacao present in the final product. (For more information about types of chocolate, check out this article). If you are ever in doubt, go to this site to see if the chocolate you want has made it on the list.

You can reap the health benefits of dark chocolate by just eating as little as one-third of a ounce per day. You don’t have to count the ounces. Eat it as a treat, stick with chocolate that is around 70% cacao, and eat a well-rounded diet.

How We Think

We are not part of the big brands that made the headlines. Trader Joe’s and Hershey can have their own set of controversies around this, but we try our best to keep things simple and local. We have only purchased our cacao from one place outside of Lima, Peru. We love it. We know the quality of it. We understand the work it takes to provide us with the best quality ingredients for our customers. If we were going to different cacao plantations, we would do the extra leg work to ask the questions: “What is the soil like? What is being manufactured around here? How has industrialism affected the plantations?” We have enjoyed the experience of walking through cacao plantations and seeing this flavorful and rich commodity harvested.

We just don’t care about turning a profit. We care about providing quality, delicious, and healthy chocolate to everyone we encounter.

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