The lead content was particularly high in Hershey’s Special Dark.
A lawsuit filed in New York state alleges that Hershey’s “fails to disclose” that some of its chocolate products contain “unsafe levels of lead and cadmium.” On December 28, a New Yorker named Christopher Lazazzaro filed the lawsuit in federal court on Long Island. The lawsuit seeks class-action status against the mass-market chocolatier, which was licensed to manufacture Cadbury products in the United States in 1988, according to a report in The Guardian.
The outlet goes on to state that Hershey’s sources its ingredients and manufactures its products with “exclusive knowledge of the quality control testing of the products and the ingredients contained within the cadmium in the products.”
However, the complaint relates to recent results from the US magazine Consumer Reports (CR), which examined the levels of lead and cadmium in 28 bars of dark chocolate. According to the magazine, 23 of them, including Lindt, Hershey and Godiva Chocolate, had “comparatively larger amounts” of the metals. “For 23 of the bars, consumption of just one ounce (28g) per day would put an adult above levels that public health officials and CR experts say could be harmful to at least one of these heavy metals,” the report said.
Also read: Watch: Chef Makes Sacred Trident From ‘Aquaman’ Using Chocolate
Lead levels were particularly high in Hershey’s Special Dark and Lily’s 70 percent bars, while lead and cadmium levels were particularly high in Lily’s 85 percent bars, according to the BBC.
In his allegation, Mr. Lazazzaro claims that he would not have elected to pay less for Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate, Lily’s Extra Dark Chocolate 70 Percent Cocoa and Lily’s Extreme Dark Chocolate bars. Lead poisoning can result in a number of health problems, including anemia and frailty. Lead poisoning can damage the kidneys and brain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children exposed to lead are at risk of developing learning and behavioral problems, as well as damage to the brain and neurological system.
Featured Video of the Day
Gujarat bus crashes into SUV after driver suffers heart attack, 9 dead