USA: 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 ...