New CR tests reveal bad news for chocolate lovers

[Consumer Reports]   Dear Friend, Consumer Reports’ latest round of tests revealed more tough news for chocolate lovers: a third of the hot chocolate and brownie mixes, chocolate chips, and more in our tests had high levels of lead or cadmium. Among them? Hershey’s Cocoa Powder, popular for holiday baking, had concerning levels of lead. And while none of the milk chocolate bars in our tests exceeded CR's limit for either heavy metals, Hershey's – an iconic Halloween treat – had the highest lead levels of the milk chocolate we tested. This isn’t the first time that Hershey products have shown problematic levels of heavy metals – our tests last year found high lead levels in some of its dark chocolate bars. After that, Hershey stated it would like to get heavy metals out of its products, but has yet to publicly commit to a plan or timeline.  Join us in telling the largest U.S. manufacturer of chocolate to commit NOW to reducing heavy metals in its products! [Sign our petition to Hershey to get the lead out!](   [Sign the Petition »](  CR is working with companies and regulators to reduce Americans’ heavy metal exposure, which has been linked to a range of health issues: in children, damage to the brain and nervous system; and in adults, immune system suppression, reproductive issues, and kidney damage. Since any intake of heavy metals can be harmful, it’s important that products – especially those consumed by children – contain the least amount possible. The culprit in chocolate is cocoa, which can absorb heavy metals from the soil and during processing. Yet our tests show some manufacturers may be doing a better job keeping metals out of their products than others – even for dark chocolate and cocoa powders, which tend to be higher in heavy metals than milk chocolate. For example, Navitas Organic Cacao Powder was significantly lower in lead in our tests than Hershey’s Cocoa Powder. It’s time Hershey leads the marketplace by committing to reducing heavy metals in its chocolate products! [Please join thousands of other consumers in telling Hershey to step up!](  [Sign the Petition »](  We recently used our consumer power to work with the maker of Peeps candy to remove the known carcinogen Red Dye 3 from its products. We can move Hershey too, if we have a wave of consumer pressure. Please share this with friends and family so they can join you in speaking out! Thanks for all you do! Meg BohneConsumer Reports [Unsubscribe from Consumer Reports action alerts.]( © 2022 Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY, 10703 [Contact Consumer Reports](