Breaking: NCA offers safety reassurance after consumer study claiming cadmium risks in chocolate

The National Confectioners Association has moved to offer reassurances over product safety in response to a US study alleging potentially harmful levels of cadmium and lead are present in dark chocolate confectionery, reports Neill Barston.

According to the article published from Consumer Reports, a non-profit American organisation focused on product testing, it claimed major brands including Hershey, Trader Joe’s and Lindt, contained high levels of heavy metals during an analysis of some of the sector’s latest product releases – which the NCA has moved to refute.

The reports group stated that 23 of the 28 bars that it had tested were of concern, noting that five bars in particular that it placed under the microscope, including organic branded bars from Green&Blacks, Lily’s, Trader Joe’s and Theo, were cited as having both high lead and cadmium content, which the US trade body stated was not the case, as prior investigation had found that they remained within compliance levels.

In its study, Consumer Reports asserted that its tests on dark chocolate used California’s maximum allowable dose level (MADL) for lead (0.5 micrograms) and cadmium (4.1mcg), and claimed that a number of brands registered high levels of lead, posing further contamination risks – which the industry believes are within acceptable levels.

Significantly, the NCA cited a recently reported agreement with non-profit group As You Sow in relation to cadmium levels in chocolate. This involved an arrangement with 32 confectionery companies to explore ways to minimise cadmium within chocolate – which enters into crops through soil conditions, as well as reportedly through environmental factors in later stages of processing, according to recent sector studies.

A subsequent report agreed by the NCA and As You Sow recommended a series of actions and priorities through blending of cocoa and potential changes in farming practices, as well as soil treatment and planting new tree stock.

Speaking in response to the latest product review from the Consumer Reports organisation, which comes amid peak sales for the key Christmas confectionery season, the NCA referred to the findings in the recent review of the issue, and believed that present confectionery ranges remained safe to consume.

Its statement read: “Chocolate and cocoa are safe to eat and can be enjoyed as treats as they have been for centuries. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) guidelines cited in the Consumer Reports study are not food safety standards.

“An expert investigation conducted through our prior California Proposition 65 settlement concluded that cadmium and lead are present in cocoa and chocolate due to soil and that bean cleaning during processing cocoa beans reduces lead and cadmium in chocolate products. The products cited in this study are in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements, and the levels provided to us by Consumer Reports testing are well under the limits established by our settlement. Food safety and product quality remain our highest priorities and we remain dedicated to being transparent and socially responsible.”

This week, Confectionery Production attended the Choco Tec international confectionery event in Cologne, at which the topic of cadmium levels within chocolate emerged as a presentation from Lubeca marzipan. As the company revealed, the subject remains an area for continued study within the sector, and challenges have remained with different regions around the world having varying standards for tolerance and compliance levels of metals found within cocoa used within the sector.