How heavy metals get into dark chocolate bars – The Seattle Times

While there are tips to minimize exposure, including knowing which bars have lower levels of heavy metals, chocolate lovers may want to know how heavy metals get into these treats in the first place. A 2018 California consent judgment between nonprofit advocacy group As You Sow and the world’s largest chocolate companies established industry standards for heavy metal limits in chocolate products. In response to the judgment, the National Confectioners Association and As You Sow — with contributions from more than 30 chocolate companies (including Seattle’s Theo Chocolate) — released a three-year expert research study. Between 2019 and 2022, the expert committee studied how lead and cadmium might contaminate cacao. The researchers found cacao plants take up cadmium from the soil before harvest, with the metal accumulating in cacao beans as trees grow, similar to how heavy metals contaminate other foods. Lead levels are influenced by where and how the cacao beans are handled by humans af

While there are tips to minimize exposure, including knowing which bars have lower levels of heavy metals, chocolate lovers may want to know how heavy metals get into these treats in the first place. A 2018 California consent judgment between nonprofit advocacy group As You Sow and the world’s largest chocolate companies established industry standards for heavy metal limits in chocolate products. In response to the judgment, the National Confectioners Association and As You Sow — with contributions from more than 30 chocolate companies (including Seattle’s Theo Chocolate) — released a three-ye