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22.11.2024 - Foods

Heavy metal contamination of chocolate

Currently, a lawsuit from the USA is making headlines, where the heavy metal contamination of chocolate and the associated advertising claims are being litigated.

Cocoa beans and the chocolate made from them are often contaminated with the heavy metals cadmium and lead.

In the EU Regulation 2023/915, the EU Commission sets maximum levels of 0.8 mg/kg cadmium for products with a total cocoa mass of >50%.

Chronic exposure to cadmium poses a potential health risk.

The Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) of cadmium, as established by the World Health Organization (WHO), which can be ingested over a lifetime without expecting health damage, is 0.007 mg per kilogram of body weight.

Do you have questions for our experts on the topic of heavy metals in food? Or do you want to test your products like cocoa or chocolate for heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, or mercury?

In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly conduct these tests. We provide you with fast and reliable results.

Sources:

www.consumerreports.org