Chocolate and Heavy Metals
Chocolate has always been a revered food but a recent review of commercial chocolate in Brazil found some chocolate has high levels of two heavy metals. The two metals examined are lead and cadmium. Scientists from the University of Campinas in Brazil conducted the study which was published by the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In the study researchers looked at 30 different brands including milk, white and dark chocolate confections.
The levels of lead and cadmium found in these products is believed to come from the soils in which they are grown. The saturation range varied by product but the all were above the safety levels recommended by the World Health Organization. The levels of lead and cadmium were highest in dark chocolate and chocolate with high cacao levels. While dark chocolate is considered to be healthier than white and milk chocolate it appears in this case they are not.
These findings are augmented by a lab testing of major raw and organic cacao products popular in the raw food community. A group known as the Forensic Food Lab has conducted its own study. According to its findings Essential Living Foods Raw Cacao Nibs are the least contaminated among those tested, you can view the full list by visiting this link. We at Zebra Organics hand select our products and our aim is to provide you with a unique selection of healthy products. We do carry a range of cacao products and we pleased to carry Essential Living Foods Cacao Nibs.
In general heavy metal pollution is something we all need to be aware of. It would be nice to believe we all live in a pristine environment but we don't. In fact the air we breath each day contains varying levels of pollutants including heavy metals. Three of the most common metals found in the air we breath are cadmium, lead and mercury and they emitted mainly as a result of various industrial activities. While the levels in the air are low they do build up in soils and the plants take them up and they enter the food chain.
In health,
Zebra Organics