Traces of Lead Reportedly Found Inside of Chocolate At Trader’s Joe

When you bite into a bar of chocolate the last thing on your mind is usually lead.

Well, that changes now.

Trader Joe’s is facing a massive class-action lawsuit that claims the company failed to notify customers that metals such as lead were inside their chocolate.

Per Prevention, Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate and Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate contain lead and cadmium.

Trader Joe's dark chocolate has 'unsafe levels of lead, cadmium': lawsuit https://t.co/f4svjNPRng pic.twitter.com/ER3AyaLdUk

— New York Post (@nypost) January 8, 2023

Trader Joe's is the latest company to be reportedly sued by a consumer who claims shoppers were misled and endangered by dark chocolate containing harmful levels of lead and cadmium.https://t.co/y5L2Fe6dXq

— KOMO News (@komonews) January 6, 2023

Prevention shared these details:

Trader Joe’s is facing a class-action lawsuit that alleges the company misled and put consumers’ health at risk by failing to disclose on packaging that select dark chocolate products contain harmful levels of metals.

In the lawsuit filed on January 4th by a New York consumer, said that Trader Joe’s failed to disclose that the Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao and Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao contain lead and cadmium. This lawsuit comes only one week after a similar class-action suit was filed in the same court against The Hershey Company.

Both lawsuits follow a December 2022 report by Consumer Reports, where scientists measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 different chocolate bars from various brands— cadmium and lead were detected in all of them, including Trader Joe’s products. Twenty-three of the bars tested by Consumer Reports contained potentially harmful levels of heavy metals for adults who eat one ounce a day, the outlet noted.

It’s important to note that while the presence of any metals in food is undoubtedly concerning, the levels that Consumer Reports used as a benchmark are not those of food safety standards. So while it might be concerning to find out that your go-to quick treat contains lead or other heavy metals, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in danger.

Trader Joe's and The Hershey Company are facing class-action lawsuits over the amount of lead and cadmium in some dark chocolate products. https://t.co/qXI8AndTXm

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 7, 2023

CNBC shared these details:

Thousands of customers flock to Trader Joe’s, largely because of its wide range of grocery options, affordable prices — and the nearly endless selection of snacks.

And while you may think grabbing a dark chocolate bar off of the shelf is the healthier option, a recent Consumer Reports (CR) study shows that those chocolate bars may actually expose you to harmful chemicals like lead and cadmium.

For the study, CR tested 28 dark chocolate bars, which are commonly suggested for their heart health benefits, to measure the levels of heavy metals. Lead and cadmium were detected in all of the products.

To determine which chocolates posed the most risk, CR used California’s maximum allowable dose level (MADL) for lead and cadmium as a base. Any product with a percentage over 100% for either chemical exceeds the MADL.

Some Trader Joe’s favorites were on the list of products that the study found to have high levels of those chemicals.