Daniel Salzler No. 1233
EnviroInsight.org Four Items December 22, 2023
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1. Merry Christmas!
2. A Third of Chocolate Products Are High in Heavy Metals, CR’s Tests Find. Brownie mixes, chocolate chips, hot cocoa, and more contained concerning levels of lead or cadmium. Here’s how to eat the treats safely.
With the holiday season approaching, many of us will be indulging in a favorite treat: chocolate. Yet despite dark chocolate’s reputation as a healthier sweet, it can also be contaminated with lead and cadmium, two heavy metals linked to serious health problems, as many people learned from Consumer Reports’ testing last year.
Now CR has the results of our new tests on heavy metal levels in other kinds of chocolates and foods made with it.
In chocolate products, the lead and cadmium are concentrated in the cocoa (or cacao), the ingredient that gives chocolate its distinctive flavor. Dark chocolate tends to have higher levels of cacao. But other chocolate products contain cacao, too, in varying quantities—from cocoa powder, which is essentially pure cocoa, to milk chocolate, which can have very little.
CR’s experts wanted to see whether other cacao-containing foods posed a risk, so we tested 48 different products in seven categories—cocoa powder, chocolate chips, milk chocolate bars, and mixes for brownies, chocolate cake, and hot chocolate. We also added a few more dark chocolate bars to our test. Products came from big name brands such as Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, and Nestlé; national retailers like Costco, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Whole Foods; and specialty makers such as Droste and Navitas.
As expected, dark chocolates tended to have higher levels of heavy metals and milk chocolate lower. “But every product we tested had detectable amounts of lead and cadmium,” says James E. Rogers, PhD, director and acting head of product safety testing at CR. “Sixteen of the 48 products had amounts above CR’s levels of concern for at least one of the heavy metals—in some cases more than twice our limit—but we did find safer options in each category of chocolate products.”
Heavy Metals in Chocolate
Heavy metals can be found in many foods—such as arsenic in rice, mercury in some types of fish, cadmium in spinach, and lead in carrots and sweet potatoes. And you can also be exposed through drinking water or your environment (such as lead paint in your house).
Exposure to heavy metals is of greatest concern in children and during pregnancy, because they can damage the brain and nervous system, causing developmental delays, learning and behavior problems, and more. But adults can also experience negative effects. For example, frequent lead exposure has been linked to immune system suppression, reproductive issues, kidney damage, and hypertension.
Dark Chocolate ResultsBased on the manufacturer’s recommended serving size of about 1 ounce.
Ordered from lower to higher lead level.Below 100% of CR’s levelsAbove 100% of CR’s level\
Sam’s Choice (Walmart) Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa LEAD 36% CADMIUM 118%
Sam’s Choice (Walmart) Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa LEAD 43% CADMIUM 99%
Divine 70% Deliciously Smooth Dark Chocolate LEAD 80% CADMIUM 41%
Divine 85% Exquisitely Smooth Dark Chocolate LEAD 120% CADMIUM 56%
Evolved Signature Dark 72% Cacao Chocolate Bar LEAD 236% CADMIUM 149%
Perugina 70% Premium Dark Chocolate LEAD 314% CADMIUM 82%
Perugina 85% Premium Dark Chocolate LEAD 539% CADMIUM 68%
Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate tends to be lower in heavy metals than dark chocolate because it has less cocoa solids. And in fact none of the five milk chocolate bars in our tests were over CR’s limit for either heavy metal. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar had the most lead, reaching 67 percent of CR’s limit. Feastables Mr. Beast Bar Milk Chocolate, with 80 percent of CR’s limit, had the most cadmium per serving. Lindt Classic Recipe Milk Chocolate Bar was the lowest overall, with one serving (about 1 ounce) containing 11 percent of the daily maximum amount of lead and 13 percent of the daily cadmium limit.
Milk Chocolate ResultsBased on the manufacturer’s recommended serving size of about 1 ounce.
Ordered from lower to higher lead level.Below 100% of CR’s levelsAbove 100% of CR’s levels
Lindt Classic Recipe Milk Chocolate Bar LEAD 11% CADMIUM 13%
Feastables Mr. Beast Bar Milk Chocolate LEAD 36% CADMIUM 80%
365 Whole Foods Market Organic Milk Chocolate LEAD 37% CADMIUM 40%
Chocolove Milk Chocolate LEAD 55% CADMIUM 8%
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar LEAD 67% CADMIUM 31%
Chocolate Chips
None of these 12 products had high levels of cadmium, and only two—Hu Dark Chocolate Gems and Good & Gather (Target) Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips—were over CR’s limit for lead.
Cocoa Powder ResultsBased on the manufacturer’s recommended serving size of 1 tablespoon.
Ordered from lower to higher lead level.Below 100% of CR’s levelsAbove 100% of CR’s levels
Navitas Organics Organic Cacao Powder LEAD 77% CADMIUM 17%
Nestlé Toll House 100% Pure Cocoa LEAD 77% CADMIUM 66%
BetterBody Foods Organic Cacao Powder LEAD 95% CADMIUM 95%
365 Whole Foods Market Organic Cocoa Powder LEAD 97% CADMIUM 93%
Hershey’s Cocoa Naturally Unsweetened 100% Cacao LEAD 125% CADMIUM 18%
Droste Cacao Powder LEAD 324% CADMIUM 41%
Brownie Mix ResultsBased on each manufacturer’s recommended serving size, which varies. Servings per package listed below.
Ordered from lower to higher lead level.Below 100% of CR’s levelsAbove 100% of CR’s levels
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix18 servings per box LEAD 34% CADMIUM 13%
Annie’s Organic Double Chocolate Brownie Mix16 servings per box LEAD 47% CADMIUM 61%
Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix20 servings per box LEAD 70% CADMIUM 43%
Miss Jones Baking Co Brownie Double Chocolate Baking Mix16 servings per package LEAD 76%
CADMIUM 36%
Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mix16 servings per box LEAD 94% CADMIUM 24%
Ghirardelli Premium Brownie Mix Double Chocolate16 servings per box LEAD 108% CADMIUM 37%
Great Value (Walmart) Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix10 servings per box LEAD 52% CADMIUM 23%
Pillsbury Devil’s Food Premium Cake Mix10 servings per box LEAD 58% CADMIUM 28%
Betty Crocker Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix10 servings per box LEAD 77% CADMIUM 29%
Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix10 servings per box LEAD 90% CADMIUM 31%
Simple Mills Almond Flour Baking Mix – Chocolate Muffin & Cake12 servings per box LEAD 127% CADMIUM 34%
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix11 servings per package LEAD 218% CADMIUM 77%
Cake Mix ResultsBased on each manufacturer’s recommended serving size, which varies. Servings per package listed below. Source: EWG.org
3. The Legend of St. Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best-known St. Nicholas stories is the time he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married. Source: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus.
4. Recycle During The Holiday’s
A number of cities around the state have canceled their recycling programs because people are not following the recycling rules. These are Glendales recycle rules. Check your city for their rules. Please continue to recycle.
| Recycle | Do Not Recycle | |
| Clear or green plastic egg cartons | Pulp or Styrofoam egg cartons | |
| Aluminum cans | Soluble Fats, Oils, Grease *1 | |
| Food free glass bottles, rinsed | Bagged yard waste | |
| Food free Aluminum foil | Christmas Wrapping paper | |
| Magazine inserts & slicks, Phone books, news papers | Chemical Solvents Automotive batteries (Call City Haz Waste)*2 | |
| Cereal boxes (fiberboard) with insert removed | Cereal box inserts | |
| Pizza boxes (top half) | Pizza Boxes (greasy bottom half) | |
| Cardboard boxes (flattened not cut up) | Live Christmas Trees with tinsel attached | |
| Paint – hard from top to bottom (paint hardener or air dry) | Liquid paint (Call Glendale Haz Waste)*2 | |
| Electronics, cables, remotes *4 | Yogurt containers, plastic food containers | |
| Christmas card envelopes | Christmas cards | |
| Used Oil/ Car/Truck batteries*3(Take to Auto parts store) | Used Motor Oil (Take to Auto parts store or call City Haz Waste)*2 | |
| Assorted glass jars, clean (To MRF)*4 | Glassware with food stuck to the sides | |
| Rinsed milk cartons and juice boxes | Food contaminated steel cans | |
| Live tinsel-free live Christmas trees (call City) | Used paper towels or kleenex | |
| Plastic grocery bags – return to grocery | Bubble-lined envelopes | |
| Detergent bottles | Food contaminated plastic bottles | |
| “A”,”AA”,”AAA”,”C”,”D” alkaline batteries | Automotive tires | |
*1 Use paper towel to soak up grease/fat/oil and toss towel into trash
*2 Glendale Haz Waste pickup : 623-930-2660
*3 Take used oil and car batteries to car parts stores
*4 MRF – Materials Recycling Facility at the Glendale Landfill
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