Chocolate
Source-grounded narrative on this page is populated incrementally from the routed source pages per CLAUDE.md Part 9; the evidence-summary table is regenerated by the source-routing layer as sources accumulate.
Who this page is for
This page is for brand legal, retailer-compliance, regulator, and HMTc staff readers who need the current literature record for Chocolate. It is a public evidence surface, not a certification-threshold table. Brand and retailer readers should use it to see which cited sources actually support this product row, while HMTc staff should use it to keep row fit, market, basis, and analyte species visible before any standards-workbench use.
Methodology
This page follows the Part 6 product-page rules: values stay in the source-reported basis, non-detect handling follows the source, and analyte species are not substituted. Produce and food evidence is kept jurisdiction- and market-aware, with fresh, dried, canned, infused, or processed forms separated when basis changes. Public wiki prose summarizes the literature; percentile math and HMTc candidate limits remain in the staff workbench.
Literature Evidence Summary
Literature Evidence Summary
The table below summarizes what the peer-reviewed and government literature cited on this page reports for heavy-metal concentrations in Chocolate. Values are pulled directly from cited sources without re-aggregation; pooling, percentile selection, and threshold math sit in the staff Standards Workbench rather than this public page.
Methodology rules for speciation, basis preservation, non-detect handling, and source pooling are stated in the Methodology section above and apply to every row below.
| Analyte | Subcategory | Reported concentration range | Detection rate | Applicable regulatory cap | Sources | Confidence | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cd | Chocolate (no contributing evidence loaded) | No concentration data loaded for this analyte | Sample-level detection rate not reported | 100 ppb | 0 | data gap | Basis not reported |
| Pb | Chocolate (no contributing evidence loaded) | No concentration data loaded for this analyte | Sample-level detection rate not reported | No applicable cap loaded | 0 | data gap | Basis not reported |
| tAs | Chocolate (no contributing evidence loaded) | No concentration data loaded for this analyte | Sample-level detection rate not reported | No applicable cap loaded | 0 | data gap | Basis not reported |
Source Evidence Inventory
Routed sources are still sparse, so this page preserves the product row and waits for the source-routing layer to add citations. At this synthesis stage, the inventory is used to distinguish direct finished-product occurrence data from broader dietary, ingredient, exposure, or review context. Sources that do not resolve product form, jurisdiction, basis, or analyte species remain visible here but should not be treated as benchmark-ready rows until structured extraction and routing confirm fit.
Broad Product Context: Author-Scope Index
Pending: regenerated by tools/evidence/apply-product-broad-context.mjs once broad-scope sources route to this page.
Federal/Regulatory Limits vs Field Findings
Pending: regenerated by tools/apply-product-crosswalk-sections.mjs once applicable_regulations are identified and field-finding evidence is pooled.
Levers to reduce contamination
The practical control levers for Chocolate start with product identity and lot-level evidence: keep the product form, ingredient contributors, market, and analytical basis attached to each test result. Sourcing and formulation controls should focus on ingredients or mineral/colorant/botanical inputs named by the routed sources, while finished-product testing remains the check on combined formulation, processing, and packaging effects. Where the current sources are review or exposure-context sources, the immediate lever is better row-specific occurrence testing rather than broad cross-category inference.
How standards math uses this page
The percentile arithmetic that informs HMTc thresholds lives in data/workbench/standards/chocolate.md (the staff snapshot). This public page reports literature evidence; the staff workbench applies the methodology in CLAUDE.md Part 19 to produce candidate threshold values. The gap between literature-baseline and HMTc threshold is named honestly on the workbench, not hidden.
Historical recalls and enforcement
No row-specific public recall or enforcement synthesis has been promoted for Chocolate in this pass. Regulatory references on this page should be read as context unless a source ties an event to this exact product scope and analyte. Future enforcement prose should remain event-framed and should not convert source mentions into brand rankings.
Sources
Auto-generated from source-page frontmatter. The “Used on this page for” column is populated by the orchestrator’s POPULATE-SOURCE-LEGEND action; pending entries appear as *[awaiting synthesis]*.
| # | Citation | Year | Type | Used on this page for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ANSES 2026. Opinion of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety on the results of the Third French Total Diet Study (TDS3) - Acrylamide, aluminium, silver, cadmium, mercury and lead, ANSES Opinion, Request No 2019-SA-0010 | 2026 | Government report | FR Al, Ag, Cd, Pb, tHg, iHg, MeHg occurrence in French TDS3 foods selected from 276 foods across 44 groups, with 718 samples collected in Loiret, Puy-de-Dome, and… (n=718) |
| 2 | Masri et al. 2025. Assessing Dietary Consumption of Toxicant-Laden Foods and Beverages by Age and Ethnicity in California: Implications for Proposition 65, Nutrients | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | US Pb, Cd, tAs, MeHg occurrence in Cross-sectional online dietary survey (Qualtrics) administered between 1 March and 15 June 2023 to Southern California residents (adults… (n=186) |
| 3 | Bravo et al. 2024. Cadmium in cacao crops and artisanal chocolates in the Arauca Department, Colombia, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment | 2024 | Peer-reviewed | CO Cd occurrence in 180 cacao farms surveyed across four municipalities in Arauca Department, Colombia (Arauquita, Fortul, Saravena, Tame); seed subsamples from… (n=20) |
| 4 | Hands et al. 2024. A multi-year heavy metal analysis of 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products in the USA, Frontiers in Nutrition | 2024 | Peer-reviewed | US Pb, Cd, tAs occurrence in 72 consumer cocoa-containing products (dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and related products) purchased in the US from retail and… (n=72) |
| 5 | Hands et al. 2024. A multi-year heavy metal analysis of 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products in the USA, Frontiers in Nutrition | 2024 | Peer-reviewed | US Pb, Cd, tAs concentrations (n=72) |
| 6 | Burgon 2023. Cacau e Chocolates “Bean to Bar”: Contaminantes Inorgânicos e Ocratoxina A (Cocoa beans and “Bean to Bar” chocolates: Inorganic contaminants and Ochratoxin A), Master’s thesis, Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL), Centro de Ciência e Qualidade de Alimentos, Campinas-SP, Brazil | 2023 | Thesis | BR Pb, Cd, tAs, tHg, Cu, Co, Se concentrations |
| 7 | Marincich et al. 2023. Threat or treat: Exposure assessment and risk characterisation of chemical contaminants in soft drinks and chocolate bars in various Polish population age groups, EFSA Journal | 2023 | Peer-reviewed | PL/EU Cd occurrence in Multiple chocolate bars from different brands purchased in Warsaw supermarkets, 2022–2023; two matrices: milk chocolate and bitter chocolate |
| 8 | USDA 2023. China Releases the Standard for Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods (USDA FAS GAIN Report CH2023-0040, unofficial translation of GB 2762-2022), USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), Report Number CH2023-0040 | 2023 | Regulation | CN Pb, Cd, tHg, MeHg, tAs, iAs, Sn, Ni, Cr occurrence in null |
| 9 | Ahn et al. 2022. Expert Investigation Related to Cocoa and Chocolate Products: Final Report, Expert Committee report submitted to As You Sow and the Settling Defendants under a California Proposition 65 Consent Judgment; Project Manager: Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG). Final Report dated March 28, 2022 (381 pp., including three technical attachments). | 2022 | Industry | US-CA/US/EC Pb, Cd concentrations |
| 10 | BfR 2022. Nickel: estimate of long-term intake via food based on the BfR MEAL Study, BfR Communication No. 033/2022 | 2022 | Government report | DE/EU Ni occurrence in 840 food pools from 356 foods representing 90%+ of German food consumption; adults and adolescents N=13,926 (NVS II,… (n=840) |
| 11 | FDA 2022. Total Diet Study Report: Fiscal Years 2018-2020 Elements Data, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Total Diet Study Program | 2022 | Government report | US Pb, Cd, tAs, iAs, tHg, Ni, Cr, U, Sb occurrence in Composite TDS samples across 307 foods (3,241 food/beverage samples + 35 bottled-water samples) collected across six US regions… (n=3276) |
| 12 | Fechner et al. 2022. Results of the BfR MEAL Study: In Germany, mercury is mostly contained in fish and seafood while cadmium, lead, and nickel are present in a broad spectrum of foods, Food Chemistry: X | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | DE/EU tHg, Cd, Pb, Ni occurrence in 869 pooled samples from 356 foods representing 90%+ of German food consumption; adults and adolescents N=13,926 (NVS II… (n=869) |
| 13 | Gutiérrez et al. 2022. Cadmium fractionation in soils affected by organic matter application: Transfer of cadmium to cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) tissues, Frontiers in Environmental Science | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | EC Cd occurrence in Four Ecuadorian cacao farms, three in Manabi and one in Guayas, with cacao pods and leaves sampled under… (n=4) |
| 14 | Amjad et al. 2021. Determination of Heavy Metals in Locally Available Chocolates in Lahore Region, Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology | 2021 | Peer-reviewed | PK Pb, Ni, Cr, Cd occurrence in Thirty locally available chocolate samples collected from shops and markets in Lahore, Pakistan (n=30) |
| 15 | Ferreira et al. 2021. Cd and Pb in cocoa beans: Occurrence and effects of chocolate processing, Food Control 119, 107455 | 2021 | Peer-reviewed | BR/EC/CI Cd, Pb occurrence in 90 fermented and dried cocoa-bean batches from Brazil (Bahia n=33, Pará n=29, Espírito Santo n=4, Rondônia n=8), Côte… (n=90) |
| 16 | Abt et al. 2020. Perspective on Cadmium and Lead in Cocoa and Chocolate, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | US/international Cd, Pb concentrations |
| 17 | Elsheikh et al. 2020. Evaluation of Some Toxic and Essential Trace Elements in Children Foods and Infant Formulae by Using ICP-OES, Asian Journal of Chemistry 32(6):1273-1278 | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | SA Al, Pb, Cd, tAs, Mn, Ni, V, Si, Ba occurrence in Fifty-seven samples covering 19 different brands purchased in Turabah province, Saudi Arabia: 3 brands of infant formula (including… (n=57) |
| 18 | Fechner et al. 2019. Dietary exposure assessment of aluminium and cadmium from cocoa in relation to cocoa origin, PLoS ONE | 2019 | Peer-reviewed | DE/EU Al, Cd concentrations (n=12482) |
| 19 | Meter et al. 2019. Cadmium in Cacao from Latin America and the Caribbean: A Review of Research and Potential Mitigation Solutions, Bioversity International / CAF Development Bank of Latin America | 2019 | Government report | EC/CO/PE Cd concentrations |
| 20 | Abt et al. 2018. Cadmium and Lead in Cocoa Powder and Chocolate Products in the U.S. Market, Food Additives & Contaminants: Part B Surveillance | 2018 | Peer-reviewed | US Cd, Pb concentrations |
| 21 | Kataoka et al. 2018. Surveillance of Cadmium Concentration in Chocolate and Cocoa Powder Products Distributed in Japan, Food Hygiene and Safety Science | 2018 | Peer-reviewed | JP Cd occurrence in Retail chocolate and cocoa powder products purchased online or at supermarkets in Tokyo and surrounding areas, April 2015… (n=320) |
| 22 | Grimaldi 2017. Proposition 65 Settlement May Establish New Industry Standard for Lead and Cadmium in Chocolate, Grimaldi Law Offices (San Francisco) — attorney commentary article | 2017 | News | US-CA Pb, Cd occurrence in null |
| 23 | Stahl et al. 2017. Migration of aluminum from food contact materials to food - a health risk for consumers? Part I of III: exposure to aluminum, release of aluminum, tolerable weekly intake (TWI), toxicological effects of aluminum, study design, and methods, Environmental Sciences Europe | 2017 | Peer-reviewed | DE/EU Al occurrence in Hessian State Laboratory aluminum results for 1,825 foodstuff samples across 30 product groups, plus Part I study-design context… (n=1825) |
| 24 | Ramtahal et al. 2016. Relationships between cadmium in tissues of cacao trees and soils in plantations of Trinidad and Tobago, Food and Nutrition Sciences | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | TT Cd concentrations (n=45) |
| 25 | Vitola et al. 2016. The Effect of Cocoa Beans Heavy and Trace Elements on Safety and Stability of Confectionery Products, Rural Sustainability Research 35(330):19-23 | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | CM/EC/NG tHg, tAs, Pb, Cd, Al, Zn, Se occurrence in Forastero cocoa-bean lots from Cameroon, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Ghana, sampled from 10 bags per origin and analyzed with… (n=4) |
| 26 | EFSA 2015. Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of nickel in food and drinking water, EFSA Journal 2015;13(2):4002, 202 pp. | 2015 | Government report | EU Ni occurrence in 18,885 food samples and 25,700 drinking water samples (final dataset after exclusions) submitted to EFSA from 15 European… (n=18885) |
| 27 | EFSA 2012. Cadmium dietary exposure in the European population, EFSA Journal 2012;10(1):2551 | 2012 | Government report | EU Cd occurrence in Cadmium occurrence results in food submitted to EFSA from 22 EU Member States, 3 European Economic Area or… (n=178541) |
| 28 | Zealand 2011. The 23rd Australian Total Diet Study, Food Standards Australia New Zealand | 2011 | Government report | AU/NZ Al, tAs, iAs, Cd, Pb, tHg, iHg, MeHg occurrence in Ninety-two Australian foods and beverages, including tap and bottled water, represented by 570 composite samples; each composite used… (n=570) |
Page history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page. The full version history lives in git; when DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| b0f3d38 | 2026-06-12 | batch | corpus rescreen b04 old terminal skips |