Chocolate Specifications

Heavy metals show up in the dark part of cacao - the fiber.  The metals are not added through processing but rather occur naturally from the volcanic soil in equatorial regions where cacao is grown.  The trees uptake the soil nutrients and also the heavy metals.  These nutrients and metals then get included into the fruit of the tree. The seeds of the fruit are ground up and this becomes chocolate.

 

If you want to avoid heavy metals, it is recommended to go with lower cocoa solids chocolate because it has less fiber. That being said, lower cocoa solids results in lower antioxidant and lower flavanol count, so the chocolate from a holistic perspective becomes a balance. Santa Barbara Chocolate has a lower cocoa solid content chocolate option (66% cacao) with naturally preserved flavanols that is worth considering as a alternative to a 100% cacao chocolate type. Link: https://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/chocolate-with-naturally-preserved-cocoa-flavanols/

 

Please look at this information below (links) to understand more about heavy metals in chocolate. Whenever looking at heavy metals, look at results from the ug/PPM perspective as this information is more accurate than a serving size if you eat more or less than a serving (some servings are shown to be very small and unrealistic on packaged food). Details like serving size can be manipulated from a marketing perspective to skew perception and will not offer an accurate view of reality.

 

 

Lead is a naturally occurring element in all soil. All plants contain some degree of lead. Root vegetables such as carrots, beets and potatoes contain higher levels of lead than non root vegetables.  Cacao is less likely to contain as much lead as root vegetables like potatoes because it is a fruit that grows on a tree. Please see below the full details.