An article from Consumer Reports in the USA announced brands such as Tony’s, Lindt, Hershey’s have unsafe levels of Lead or Cadmium in their dark chocolate bars. At first glance, this article might look to alarm consumers, but the levels deemed ‘unsafe’ in the investigated chocolate bars are actually much lower than the recognised global standard.
“Cadmium and lead are commonly found in soils around the world, from both natural and human-introduced sources, and they are accordingly commonly found in trace amounts in a wide range of foods, including cocoa and therefore chocolate,” said Vincent Arbuckle, New Zealand Food Safety Deputy Director-General
“We are aware of the article by Consumer Reports in the United States that has generated media interest, but we would like to reassure the New Zealand public that our chocolate is safe to consume.
“The maximum cadmium and lead levels used for the research published in Consumer Report are substantially lower, hence more conservative, than internationally accepted exposure thresholds.
“New Zealand’s recommended maximum levels for cadmium in chocolate are below the maximum limits set by Codex – an internationally used food code to ensure food safety and quality – and the lead levels measured by the most recent Total Diet Study are not of concern.
“In fact, the Total Diet Study, done by New Zealand Food Safety, shows a continued decline in dietary lead, corresponding with World Health Organization research; while cadmium has not significantly increased.”
The Codex standard for Lead is 0.8mg/kg of cocoa for products containing less than 70 percent cocoa and 0.9 mg/kg of cocoa for products containing more than 70 percent cocoa. New Zealand has a food standard for cadmium in chocolate/cocoa of 0.5mg/kg of cocoa. According to the Consumer Reports article, the highest lead level found in the US was 265% of their limit, equating to 1.35mcg/day. Assuming the stated serving size of 30g, then the highest lead content in the chocolate would have been 0.04mg/kg.
“Whittaker’s undertakes regular testing to ensure our products comply with all relevant NZ food safety standards. In light of the Consumer Reports findings released late last year, we undertook some specific additional laboratory testing of our Whittaker’s Dark Chocolate (including 72% Dark Ghana, 86% Ghana Extra Dark, 92% Ghana Intense Dark, 70% Samoa Smooth Dark) and are pleased to report that this confirmed compliance with the food safety standards. At Whittaker’s, we’re committed to quality in all its dimensions, which is why we have such rigorous testing in place on an ongoing basis,” said a Whittaker’s Spokesperson.
