A report in Consumer Reports in 2022 said they found lead and cadmium in several brands of dark chocolate. These heavy metals can cause serious health problems. So how do lead and cadmium get into dark chocolate? Toxicologist Michael J. DiBartolomeis, PhD, studied how these metals contaminate chocolate. The metals are found in cocoa solids, which are part of the cacao bean. The levels of cocoa solids in dark chocolate are higher than they are in milk chocolate, which is why dark chocolates have more problems with contamination. The heavy metals get into the cacao bean in different ways. Cadmium is usually in the beans already when they are harvested because the plants take up cadmium in the soil, which accumulates in the beans. But lead gets into the beans after they are … [Read more...]
FDA Releases New Total Diet Study Report on Toxic Elements
The FDA has released their new Total Diet Study Report that focuses on the presence of toxic compounds in the foods we eat. The overall takeaway is that the key toxic elements were not detected in most (68%) of the tested foods. The analysis was conducted in foods that were collected from 2018 through 2020. Overall, 3,276 food, beverages, and water products were studied. The key elements studied were lead, arsenic, including inorganic arsenic, the most dangerous form, cadmium, and mercury. Overall, lead was found in 15% of the samples, arsenic in 43%, cadmium in 61%, and mercury in 8%. The categories of food included in the study were alcohol, baked goods, baby food, beverages, candies, condiments, dairy, fruit, grains, meats, ingredients like sugar and flour, compound foods such as … [Read more...]