Hershey Wants To Reduce lead & cadmium - From Chocolate

According to Hershey Co.'s chief financial officer, Steve Voskiul, the company aims to decrease the presence of small amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate products. This decision comes after Consumer Reports discovered that certain dark chocolate bars contained levels of these heavy metals that could be harmful.

Late last year, the nonprofit consumer group Consumer Reports conducted tests on various chocolate bars, including those produced by Hershey. The results indicated that some of these bars contained levels of lead, cadmium, or both, that could potentially be harmful for individuals who consume more than one ounce of chocolate per day.

Voskuil stated that the quantities of metals found in some chocolate products are "trace" amounts and are below any recommended levels or standards. He also noted that lead and cadmium are naturally occurring elements in soil and can be present in the product as a result.

He added that the amount of lead or cadmium present in chocolate may vary based on the source of the ingredients. For instance, West Africa may have higher levels of these elements compared to South America, but in either case, they are naturally occurring components.

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According to the report by Consumer Reports, Hershey's Lily's extremely dark chocolate 85% cocoa bar, as well as its Hershey's Special Dark mildly sweet chocolate and Lily's extra dark chocolate 70%, were found to contain high levels of lead and cadmium.

Voskuil stated that during the manufacturing and cleaning process of cocoa beans, the "vast majority" of lead and cadmium are removed.

Hershey is currently "evaluating" whether it can further decrease the amount of metals present in its chocolate products by employing additional methods for cleaning cocoa beans or by sourcing from alternative suppliers, according to Voskuil. He also stated that they are continually searching for ways to reduce the levels of these metals even further, despite the current cleaning process.