heavy metals like lead have been found in dark chocolate

Question

Research led by scientists at George Washington University and published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Nutrition showed that out of the 70 dark chocolate products that were tested for heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic 43% of the products exceeded acceptable levels lead and cadmium levels. What was considered to be dangerous for consumption was made by California law that sets maximum allowable doses of metals in foods. Many sources have recommended to avoid eating too much dark chocolate to avoid consuming too many metals, but avoiding heavy metals entirely in our diet is nearly impossible as other produce such as rice, vegetables, and fish have been found to have dangerous levels of heavy metals too.

Comments

This seems like it is more of a facility issue and not a dark chocolate issue, therefore I find your title misleading. If heavy metals were only found in less than 50% of the tested candy bars, then we can eliminate the coco itself being the issue and instead chalk it up to the ingredients put in to complete the product.

Answer 1

This ABC article linked below agrees with this same claim. This article and the one linked in the claim both reference a study published by Frontiers that does prove the claim that heavy metals have been found in dark chocolate. While this might sound alarming, the ABC article says that according to Elad Tako, an associate professor of food science at Cornell University, says that it isn't really a concern unless a person eats pounds and pounds of dark chocolate a day.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/heavy-metals-found-dark-chocolate-cause-concern/story?id=112480474

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

Comments

I agree with the overall claim and the evidence you provided is quite credible. However, the main concern with the claim is if these levels of lead will negatively impact a person. You did mention how Elad Tako said it was of no concern now, but I think it's important to mention how overall lead levels are down. They mention in the ABC article that lead is found in most foods since it is found in the ground. So that'll bring up the suspicion that if someone has been eating dark chocolate for a while, then they could be affected. By mentioning that overall lead levels are down, the concern will be dismissed.

Answer 2

The research referenced in the article from NBC from the peer-reviewed journal(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1366231/full) reflects that dark chocolate does appear to have alarmingly high levels of heavy metals which can be detrimental if consumed over long periods of time. The report also reflects that metals such as lead and cadmium may have ended up in the finished product as a result of the natural growing process of the cocoa beans and that organic dark chocolates contained higher levels though the specific manufactures were intentionally left out of the report.

Answer 3

This is true according two several reliable sources, including this one such as Harvard health publishing, and the New York Times. heavy metals have been found in dark chocolate, 43% exceeded the acceptable levels of lead, and 35% exceeded cadmium level, according to the study based in California law. however it is slightly misleading because it makes it sound like it is the manufacturers are putting lead in the product when in reality cocoa can absorb metals through the soil or well-being harvested, so it is rare to find any sort of dark or pure chocolate without heavy metals in it.