Why Harmful Heavy Metals May Be In Your Hot Chocolate

It's no wonder that luscious chocolate is a symbol of love on Valentine's Day, as its sweet embrace never fails to lift one's mood. Plenty of folks find comfort in a warm cup of hot cocoa, with nary a worry about what could be lingering beneath the marshmallows floating on the dark brown surface. Unfortunately, many hot chocolate mixes are tainted with heavy metals like cadmium and lead, weighing down what's supposed to be an uplifting beverage.

In 2023, Consumer Reports published the results of a test conducted on 48 chocolate products across seven different categories and many tested positive for elevated levels of heavy metals. Six brands of hot chocolate were examined using California's standards for safe amounts of heavy metals. Of the half-dozen products analyzed, none indicated they had high cadmium content, but four tested outside California's accepted range for lead. Those four brands were Nestlé, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, and Walmart's private-label brand Great Value. Brands that fared better were Ghirardelli and Swiss Miss.

No nefarious actor is intentionally adding these heavy metals into the chocolate — both are found naturally in rocks and soil. Cocoa plants soak up cadmium from the soil as they grow, while dust containing lead may contaminate cocoa beans as they dry in the sun after harvest. That might come as little comfort for folks thinking about leveling up a hot chocolate, but it's worth noting that a cup of cocoa is far from the only product people consume that includes trace amounts of cadmium and lead.

Let's be clear: There are side effects associated with the consumption of heavy metals. Cadmium can lead to vomiting and diarrhea and repeated lead exposure can cause kidney damage, hypertension, and developmental and cognitive issues, particularly in younger children. However, this news shouldn't have you rushing to throw out all the hot chocolate you have on hand. While it does behoove folks to be aware of specific products with high levels of heavy metals, it's difficult (and probably unnecessary) to avoid them entirely.

People don't like to think about it, but heavy metals are present in plenty of other products we consume. Some processed foods like Lunchables contain high amounts of lead, but other, less-processed foods aren't necessarily free of these contaminates either. Mercury is found in some fish, cadmium is in spinach, and lead can be found in carrots. Some of these foods soak up heavy metals through the soil they grow in, meaning there isn't much folks can do to eliminate it from their diets without refraining from eating altogether.

You can limit heavy metal exposure from hot chocolate by seeking brands with less elevated amounts, like Ghirardelli and Swiss Miss. However, you shouldn't necessarily feel like the other brands are completely off the table if you're only consuming them occasionally. It's commonly recommended that certain types of fish be eaten in moderation because of their inflated levels of mercury, and it isn't a bad idea to treat chocolate similarly.