A 2023 study by Consumer Reports found that over a third of popular chocolate brands, including Hershey, Nestle, and Ghirardelli, had products that contained above California’s maximum allowable dose levels of lead and/or cadmium. Most of these products have heavily concentrated cocoa- namely in dark chocolate, powder, and hot chocolate mixes. Still, every single chocolate brand tested in the study had detectable amounts of heavy metal present within their treats.

Heavy metals generally have negative effects on the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. This is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women, as the metal can cause developmental issues as it damages nerves and impairs cognitive function. Indeed, overexposure to toxic metals has a connection to Alzheimer’s disease, autism, multiple sclerosis, and a whole host of other diseases. It’s fully possible the incidence of these metals in our food may be responsible for the propagation of mental disorders in our society.

I’m impressed you have the resources to pull that off, but good news (or bad news, depending on how far you were in planning the launch): having a little chocolate every now and again won’t kill you. If you’re pregnant or a child, try and lay off the dark chocolate for a while (you’re not missing out, trust me). Milk chocolate is an alternative, but it’s also much higher in sugar than dark chocolate, so it’s by no means free of criticism either. What’s most important is being a smart consumer- you can look at the full set of data collected by the study in a readable fashion in the link above. If you’re concerned like I am, you can sign a petition to Hershey to demand they take action against this plague in our pudding.