Toxic metals in chocolate? Health Canada finds levels not concerning following U.S. report
Global News
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has determined that none of the heavy metals found in dark chocolate products posed a risk to consumers.
Last month, Consumer Reports (CR) revealed that dozens of dark chocolate products sold in the U.S. contain cadmium and lead — two heavy metals that can cause a variety of health problems, like kidney damage and immune system suppression, in both children and adults.
Some of the products listed in the report included chocolates from Hershey’s, Theo, Trader Joe’s, and Lindt, among other popular brands — many of which are sold here in Canada. However, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada’s assessments, the metal levels detected in those products don’t pose a risk to consumers at present.
“If a product poses a risk, the CFIA will determine the most appropriate actions to mitigate the risk,” the food inspection agency said in an email to Global News Thursday.
“If a recall is decided on as one of the actions, details on the recalled product are made available on the Government of Canada’s Recalls and Safety Alerts website.”
Reuters reported on Monday that Trader Joe’s has been sued at least nine times by consumers over its dark chocolate since Consumer Reports released its study on Dec. 15 of last year. Hershey’s and Mondelez have also been sued over the findings, as have other chocolate makers, including Godiva and Lindt.
The CFIA, however, says that while the agency is aware of the published report, it has conducted its own surveys in the past looking at a variety of contaminants in foods.
“A selection of foods that included chocolate were investigated for lead and cadmium, among other contaminants, in 2012-13 and 2017-18,” the CFIA said.
Of the products tested, none of the products had high or risky levels of heavy metals, according to the agency.