An October 2023 report released by Consumer Reports found high levels of cadmium and lead in select dark chocolate products, included those from Hershey’s, Trader Joe’s, and other popular brands. The group’s scientists tested 28 dark chocolate bars for heavy metals, and detected cadmium and lead in all of them.

The findings revealed that eating just one ounce from any of the 23 bars tested would put an adult over the limit for both heavy metals that public health experts deem acceptable.

Considering that cadmium and lead are linked to a host of health problems in both children and adults, the study results are worrisome to many. “The metals can cause developmental problems, affect brain development, and lead to lower IQ,” says Tunde Akinleye, a food safety researcher with Consumer Reports who led the study. “Frequent exposure to lead in adults, for example, can lead to nervous system problems, hypertension, immune system suppression, kidney damage, and reproductive issues.”

Earlier this year, the National Confectioners Association released results of a three-year study of the sources of lead and cadmium in cocoa and chocolate and how levels may be reduced in the future, though they believe the current levels aren’t dangerous. “Chocolate and cocoa are safe to eat and can be enjoyed as treats as they have been for centuries,” Christopher Gindlesperger, senior vice president of public affairs and communications at NCA, tells Food Quality & Safety. “Food safety and product quality remain our highest priorities and we remain dedicated to being transparent and socially responsible.”

Consumer Reports identified and prioritized a list of recommended cadmium and lead reduction measures for the industry to consider implementing, including sourcing cocoa beans from areas with lower levels of the metals.

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While a number of studies have shown a connection between dark chocolate and heavy metals cadmium and lead, a new report by Consumer Reports has shed more light on the issue. In its research, the organization measured levels of heavy metals in 28 different dark chocolate products and detected cadmium and lead in all of them. The tested products included chocolate from Hershey’s, Theo, Trader Joe’s and other popular brands.

Too many as these two heavy metals have been linked to several health problems for both children and adults and the FDA notes that lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status—though it is most problematic to children and pregnant women. By law, food manufacturers have a responsibility to implement controls to significantly minimize or prevent exposure to chemical hazards, lead included.

In January, Mars Inc. was hit with a proposed class action in New York federal court accusing the confectionery giant of failing to disclose lead and cadmium in several of its dark chocolate bars. A similar claim was made against The Hershey Co., which is facing a suit of its own.

In the latter case, the class action was brought by Christopher Lazazzaro, who cited the Consumer Reports study in the court documents, which tested a trio of Hershey’s dark chocolate bars—Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate, Lily’s Extra Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa, and Lily’s Extreme Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa—and found them all to contain the heavy metals. The lawsuit is seeking $5 million from Hershey’s, claiming the chocolate giant’s advertising and marketing campaign for the dark chocolate bars were “false, deceptive, and misleading” since the labels said nothing about containing lead and cadmium.

A week after the suit against Hershey’s was filed, a similar one against Trader Joe’s came about, with the plaintiff saying that the company failed to disclose that the Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao and Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao both contain lead and cadmium.

Still, the National Confectioners Association (NCA), which represents most of the major chocolate companies, claims that the levels found are not dangerous. In 2019, NCA partnered with As You Sow, an organization that pushes for corporate accountability, on a three-year study on the main sources of lead and cadmium in chocolate products and what can be done to lower the amounts. This came about after a 2018 settlement between As You Sow and 32 members of the confectionery industry. “Cadmium and lead are present in cocoa and chocolate due to the soil,” says Christopher Gindlesperger, a spokesperson for NCA. “The products cited in this study are in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements, and the levels provided to us by Consumer Reports testing are well under the limits established by our settlement [with As You Sow].”

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One of the biggest chocolate factories in the world has temporarily shut its doors after discovering Salmonella in a production batch. On June 27, chocolate producer Barry Callebaut discovered Salmonella in a chocolate lot produced at its plant in Wieze, Belgium. The manufacturer supplies chocolate for both small chocolatiers and big-name brands, globally.

The company released a statement noting that the Belgian Food Safety Authority (FAVV) had been informed of the incident. “For Barry Callebaut, food safety is paramount,” the company said in the statement. The plant immediately halted all chocolate production lines as a precautionary measure and put a hold on all products manufactured since June 25, 2022.

According to the statement, the company’s food safety program has more than 230 colleagues working on food safety and quality in Europe and more than 650 worldwide and identified lecithin as the source of the contamination, adding that the internal investigation revlealed that no chocolate products affected by the Salmonella-positive production lot entered the retail food chain. “We are currently reaching out to all customers who may have received impacted products.”

The company has shared its findings with the FAVV and the plant will remain closed until the agency finishes its own investigation and analysis. All chocolate production lines in the Wieze plant will be cleaned and disinfected before production process resumes.

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Raw chocolate KitKats, Dark Milk, vegan bars with quinoa, and now “ruby” chocolate: The world’s biggest chocolate makers are looking for ways to keep increasingly health-conscious consumers coming back for more.

Sales of mainstream milk chocolate bars have stagnated as consumers worried about obesity and heart disease turn to snacks with less sugar and fat, or hold out for the occasional indulgent splurge on expensive, high-end chocolate.

The shift in attitudes is forcing global firms from Mars Inc. to Mondelez International to Nestle to rebrand or reformulate their mass-market chocolates to create a healthier image, or sell a more expensive premium experience.

Smoother dark chocolate bars, protein bars with chocolate, sugar-free chocolate, and single-origin chocolate are an answer to consumer demand for healthier and higher-quality bars, the companies say.

Critics of the confectionery industry say the new products are gimmicks to boost sales by giving a premium feel or a “healthy halo” to snacks still high in sugar and fat.

The companies want to find growth somewhere. The volume of confectionery products sold worldwide rose just 0.5 percent in 2016-17 after falling for two years, according to research company Euromonitor International.

“It’s going to be very difficult to persuade consumers to buy more chocolate,” said Wiebke Schoon, food analyst at Euromonitor. “But they are open to being convinced to have better chocolate, to spend more money on it.”

While the volume of chocolate sales has been largely static, the value of sales rose 3.6 percent in 2016-17, according to Euromonitor, suggesting consumers may be prepared to pay more for chocolate they believe is healthier or better quality.

“Natural, locally-sourced ingredients are and will continue to be at the heart of what people are looking for,” said Sandra Martinez, Nestle’s global head of chocolate and confectionery. “Combined with that artisan flair.”

The Swiss food giant, which sells $8.8 billion of confectionery a year, has turned to so-called chocolatories to try to turn its mass-market KitKat bar into a luxury, personalized product—with a premium price.

At boutiques in Japan, chefs conjure up creative recipes and customers can buy KitKats in more than 10 flavors including matcha, strawberry maple, and Japanese citrus.

They can also buy KitKats made from premium dark, milk, and raw—less processed—chocolate, or print a message on white chocolate bars and wrap them in custom packaging.

“It’s cool to have your name on confectionery,” said Shiho Sudo, 20, in a KitKat boutique in Tokyo, holding a trio of white chocolate wafers with her name and birthday printed in gold-colored letters. “This is a special gift for myself.”

To print a message on three KitKat wafers costs nearly 2,600 yen ($23) while a regular KitKat costs 100 yen ($0.89).

Artisanal Flair

Nestle says the boutiques have been successful in taking KitKat upmarket. It is rolling out similar shops across Asia and has trialed pop-up versions in Europe with a view to making them permanent.

Rival Mondelez, which owns well-known brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cote d’Or, Milka, and Toblerone, is also looking to make mainstream products appeal to more demanding consumers.

Mondelez is trying to widen the appeal of its premium dark chocolate brand Green & Black’s by expanding in the U.S. and launching a Velvet edition in Britain that offers consumers a smoother, less bitter taste.

“It brings dark chocolate a little bit more to the mainstream,” said Mary Barnard, president of Mondelez International’s chocolate business in Europe.

While there is doubt over whether dark chocolate has health benefits, the perception it is healthier than milk chocolate has prompted a 31 percent rise in dark chocolate product launches in the past four years, according to market research firm Mintel.

In countries such as Australia and Russia, Mondelez has begun marketing high-cocoa versions of its mainstream bars such as Cadbury and Milka under the label Dark Milk.

Mars—the chocolate retail market leader according to Euromonitor—launched Dove Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Promises as well as Twix Dark in North America this year.

Healthy Treats?

Large confectionery companies are also venturing into snack and cereal bars including chocolate, seeking to take advantage of growing global demand for healthier snacks.

According to Euromonitor, the volume of snack bar sales has risen an average 2.6 percent a year for the past five years and is expected to grow 2.4 percent a year going forward.

While these snacks are often smaller than traditional chocolate bars, they typically earn companies a bigger margin.

This year, Mars unveiled its goodnessKNOWS snack bars in Britain, its biggest product launch in the country in two decades. The bar, split into three bite-sized pieces, is made of nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate.

Mars, which makes M&Ms and Snickers bars, has also taken a stake in KIND, the third-biggest maker of snack bars worldwide.

Other chocolate makers have turned to creating recipes with ingredients geared towards health-conscious consumers.

Germany’s Ritter Sport, for example, has launched vegan chocolate with grains such as quinoa and amaranth and is working on a vegan “milk” chocolate bar, using a dairy substitute.

Emma Calvert, food policy officer at the European Consumer Organization lobby group, is skeptical, however, about the health drive by major chocolate makers.

“For us, this is a marketing tool rather than any strategy to actually help improve the health of consumers,” she said.

“They might be using coconut oil for fat or agave syrup instead of sugar,” said Calvert. “But it’s still a type of sugar and would contribute to your excess calories. It’s a way to give a healthy halo to products that really shouldn’t have it.”

Ruby Chocolate

Some niche chocolate makers are focusing on a combination of luxury and health.

At Rabot 1745 in London, a cafe, restaurant and shop owned by Hotel Chocolat, bars with cocoa beans from a defined part of the company’s Saint Lucia plantation are sold alongside sugar-free 65 percent chocolate made with buffalo milk.

Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and CEO of Hotel Chocolat, a British company with more than 70 outlets across the country, hopes different kinds of cocoa beans will attract the same premium value attached to certain coffee beans or grapes.

“The wine world has achieved a much better balance between growing grapes and the added value of the final product,” he said. “Chocolate has lost its way but is finding it again.”

While companies such as Hotel Chocolat source specialty cocoa with a more distinct flavor from Ecuador or Brazil, most mainstream chocolate is made from mass-processed beans grown in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s top two producers.

The beans are usually mixed together without regard for whether cocoa from different trees or plantations can produce varied tastes, textures, or colors.

But this could be changing. Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading provider of chocolate products for businesses, unveiled a new type of chocolate this year with a pink hue and fruity taste: ruby chocolate.

Barry Callebaut determines if beans have the properties that make ruby chocolate by testing cocoa pods on plantations for particular genetic properties.

“The market is moving more towards understanding taste,” said Bas Smit, head of global marketing for Barry Callebaut. “It’s about hunting for the unique.”

($1 = 112.6500 yen)

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The Thermo ­Scientific HAAKE ­Viscotester iQ.

The flow behavior of molten chocolate is a crucial parameter for many reasons. During production, the transport, filling, dipping, coating, and dosing steps depend on a well-defined viscosity and yield stress. Likewise, the properties of the final chocolate, like the look of its surface or its mouth feel, are directly related to the chocolate’s viscous behavior.

Testing the viscosity is therefore one of the standard QC test methods for any company producing chocolate or using chocolate for their own production, e.g. chocolate-coated cookies.

There are various instruments available to make viscosity testing in QC easier and more reliable. For example, the Thermo Scientific HAAKE Viscotester iQ makes it is possible to use smaller measuring geometries, which reduces sample volume, time for temperature equilibration, and cleaning effort. Also, smaller shear rates are accessible due to the improved sensitivity, which enhances the reliability of yield stress calculations with extrapolation methods like the Casson model.

A Look at a Preparation Method

Two chocolate samples, a milk chocolate and a dark chocolate, have been prepared according to ICA method 46 by putting chocolate pieces into glass containers, sealing the containers and leaving them in an oven at 52 degrees Celsius for between 45 and 60 minutes. Meanwhile, the cup and bob of the measuring geometry are preheated to 40 degrees Celsius in the Peltier temperature control unit of the Viscotester iQ.

For the tests done for this report, the CC25 DIN Ti measuring geometry has been selected. This small cylindrical system with only 16.1 milliliter sample volume fits into the Peltier cylinder temperature control.

The ICA test method 46 has been translated into a Thermo Scientific HAAKE RheoWin job. The shear rate profile is shown in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Shear rate profile applied according to ICA method 46.

HAAKE RheoWin Job consists of three parts: sample conditioning, testing, and evaluation. The sample conditioning should always be part of the test method itself to ensure that it is not forgotten and always performed in the same way, which improves the reproducibility of the results. During the conditioning part the sample is kept at rest with the cylindrical upper part of the measuring geometry already in measuring position. During this time any mechanical stress caused by sample loading and closing the geometry should relax completely while at the same time, the whole sample should reach the temperature the test is going to be performed at.

In the final part, the data evaluation is performed automatically by HAAKE RheoWin. To calculate the yield stress of a chocolate melt, the traditional Casson model and the modern Windhab model can be selected from a long list of fit models. In a more simple approach, “Determination of Chocolate Viscosity” published in Journal of Texture Studies suggested to use the shear stress value at 5 1/s as the yield stress. If this method is preferred, a simple interpolation calculation in HAAKE RheoWin will do the job.

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Figure 2: Test results for a milk chocolate (open symbols) and a dark ­chocolate (filled symbols). The milk chocolate shows higher viscosity values (red curves), stronger thixotropy, and a higher yield stress. The extrapolation of flow curves (blue curves) to 0 1/s has been calculated according to Casson. The green vertical line at 5 1/s represents yield stress according to Servais.

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Table 1: Determination of yield stress based on the data from Figure 2 using different models.

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Figure 3: Viscosity curves of milk chocolate and dark chocolate at 40° C. The milk chocolate shows a significantly higher viscosity.

In addition, a steady-state viscosity curve at 40 degrees Celsius has been recorded for both samples. Compared to transient viscosity data from shear rate ramps, the steady-state viscosity is independent from time-dependent effect and the slope of the shear rate ramp. For comparison of viscosity data, the steady-state viscosity is the best choice because it is independent of the instrument used and can be directly correlated with the shear rate applied.

The Results

A typical representation of the results from a test according to ICA method 46 is shown in Figure 2. The red curves depict the viscosity and the blue curves the shear stress. It clearly shows that the milk chocolate has the higher viscosity by a factor of two or more.

The viscosity curves for the increasing shear rate ramp and the decreasing shear rate ramp are almost identical for the dark chocolate. In contrast, the milk chocolate shows a pronounced thixotropic behavior with significant differences between the two viscosity curves.

Green parabolic curves extrapolating the flow curves to a shear rate of 0 1/s represent the Casson fit. The vertical green lines indicate where the interpolation according to Servais has been calculated. Results of the different methods to determine the yield stress of the two chocolate melts have been summarized in Table 1.

The first and probably most important result from Table 1 is the insight that even from the same data, different models give different results. Therefore, only yield stress values calculate with the same mathematical model can be compared.

Independent of the model chosen, the milk chocolate in this example shows the higher yield stress, the higher viscosity, and the stronger thixotropy.

Summary

In QC, the rheological characterization of chocolate mainly focuses on its viscosity and yield stress. Using an instrument that combines sensitivity and strength, like the HAAKE Viscotester iQ, can help to successfully test chocolate melts over a wide range of shear rates. The commonly accepted test method according to ICA method 46 can easily be performed using only a small sample. The same is true for steady-state viscosity curves.

Dr. Oldörp is a senior application specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Karlsruhe, Germany. Reach him at klaus.oldoerp@thermofisher.com.

References Furnished Upon Request

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In a 24/7-production environment, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates optimizes production and quality by switching to a new self-cleaning filter system that eliminates production stoppage due to filter cleaning and blocking. When Gertrude Hawk began making chocolates in the family kitchen almost 70 years ago, she had no idea what it would lead to. Today, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, based in Dunmore, Pa., is still a family run business but sells assorted chocolate products in markets ranging from retail and wholesale to contract manufacturing, fundraising and ice cream inclusions for major brands.

But unlike the chocolate factory Roald Dahl wrote about in his famed children’s book, there are no singing Oompah Loompas producing chocolate at the Gertrude Hawk factory. Instead, three shifts work 24/7 all year round, depending on critical equipment to meet high volume demand while producing consistently high quality results.

For Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, the right equipment must not only minimize downtime and deliver required throughput but also meet strict hygiene and safety standards. This includes HACCP, FDA inspection, kosher certification, physical and micro tests as well as satisfying competitive pressures such as JIT delivery schedules.

“While in production, we need to run as much as we can, as fast as we can, as long as we can,” says Bill Alfano, maintenance foreman and lead mechanic at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. “Even a single filter element clogging can disrupt production, requiring reassignment of up to 30 employees to other tasks. And quality, of course, can never be compromised.”

To achieve the right premium taste and texture for customers, the company uses filtration on anything chocolate coatings related, which involves about 70 percent of its product line. Previously, traditional wire filter baskets were predominantly used for chocolate coatings filtration, but these had serious disadvantages.

“The filter baskets cost us production downtime when cleaned every other day,” says Alfano. “They had to be removed, scraped, washed, dried, and replaced before we could get production back up and running. ”According to Alfano, the filter baskets required increased pump maintenance and when a filter would block, the chocolate pump would seize, costing about three hours of production.

Quality also was an issue. “If a filter basket wasn’t replaced correctly, air could be sucked through a chocolate pump,” says Alfano. “That could cause a consistency problem or problems with our tempering units.”

Due to the filter baskets’ drawbacks, Alfano’s maintenance crew had to “virtually baby-sit” them, making it difficult to stay on top of other important tasks such as preventative maintenance schedules.

Gertrude Hawk Chocolates opted for the self-cleaning Eco Filter system from Russell Finex of (Pineville, N.C.)

Manufactured at the Russell Finex plant, the Eco Filter is a self-cleaning system that integrates directly into the pipeline and completely eliminates the need to clean filtration baskets or change filter bags. By means of a unique spiral wiper design, the filter element is kept continuously clean, ensuring optimum filtration efficiency. Because of its self-cleaning design, cleaning the filter between batch runs is quick and easy with minimal disruption during production changeovers.

“The main attraction of the Eco Filter was how it cleans itself so we don’t have to shut down production,” says Alfano. “Twice a week, we just open a valve and the oversized material pushes out the bottom while it continues filtering. There’s no production stoppage or slowing. Once we saw its ease of operation, we knew it was the way to go.”

Gertrude Hawk Chocolates now uses four Russell Eco Filters in production. These have a unique Q-Tap valve that allows the sampling of freshly filtered material so the quality of chocolate coatings can easily be monitored on the fly without interrupting production.

The filters also feature the Russell Filter Management System, a technology that automatically opens the oversize discharge valve at a specified differential pressure or time interval. The system enables the filter to be operated efficiently without operator involvement.

Compared to the previous basket filtration method, these filters are saving the company a substantial amount of labor and downtime.

Alfano calls the filters “operator-friendly,” saying production is saving about 60 hours a week in downtime. “They’ve also eliminated filter blockage and pump seizures. Rather than ‘baby-sit the filters,’ our maintenance staff is now staying on top of other important tasks such as preventive maintenance.”

As companies like Gertrude Hawk Chocolates are discovering, the self-cleaning Eco Filter fits neatly into existing production lines, in many instances adding significant capacity without requiring excessive space. Because it’s totally enclosed, it also prevents outside pollutants from contaminating product and protects operators from any fumes or spillage. Users see substantial improvement in product purity as well as throughput and waste elimination.

According to Alfano, a choice of easily swapped filter elements used with the system also gives Gertrude Hawk Chocolates additional flexibility to meet the exacting quality demands of their customers ranging from retail and wholesale to contract manufacturing, fundraising, and ice cream inclusions.

“The Eco Filters are making us more competitive and are aligned with the goals of our mission statement – to be innovative in our products, practices, and procedures for competitive advantage while profitably furnishing the finest chocolate products available,” Alfano says.

Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, Calif.

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