And one day you'll care how other people feel inside

[sovay]

I suppose I got about an hour this evening between receiving the all-clear from my new neurologist on the consumption of chocolate and discovering the recent report on lead and cadmium in dark chocolate, which was extremely upsetting. I had spent part of this weekend with my mother rolling our traditional fudge for Christmas. I was able to reassure her that the baker's chocolate she uses for the recipe rated safely in the expert study, but I continue to feel that chocolate is not supposed to contain heavy metals. It's difficult enough when it's full of shredded coconut or nuts. Actually it upsets me viscerally when food is not safe, the way that feels like cheating or cruelty; it is one of the things that should not happen. It's being a rough week and nothing feels safe and you should be able to treat people without poisoning them.

Comments

[goss]

Hey, I spoke to my relative yesterday about it, and she's aware of the cadmium-in-soil thing. She said that they're very much in the safe, having done a whole series of official tests on their own products when going through the process of being approved to export to USA.

Interestingly though, she mentioned that U.S.-based chocolate companies are not put through the same stringent regulations as their external competitors. I was thinking maybe that's why Hershey, for example, was on the list for higher levels of heavy metals.

She also noted that nowadays what constitutes as a "Chocolate" product must have genuine amounts of chocolate in it, which is why Cadbury no longer has the word "chocolate" on the packaging of some of their bars.

[sovay]

Hey, I spoke to my relative yesterday about it, and she's aware of the cadmium-in-soil thing. She said that they're very much in the safe, having done a whole series of official tests on their own products when going through the process of being approved to export to USA.

I'm really glad to hear it! Is it acceptable for me to ask which chocolate is theirs?

Interestingly though, she mentioned that U.S.-based chocolate companies are not put through the same stringent regulations as their external competitors. I was thinking maybe that's why Hershey, for example, was on the list for higher levels of heavy metals.

That is interesting—and plausible—albeit in a depressing sort of way. I wonder if it also accounts for Droste's cocoa, which I checked for my parents, being safe.

She also noted that nowadays what constitutes as a "Chocolate" product must have genuine amounts of chocolate in it, which is why Cadbury no longer has the word "chocolate" on the packaging of some of their bars.

I think I had known that about percentages of cocoa solids etc., but I hadn't known it had affected Cadbury. What do they call their bars that aren't legally chocolate?

Thank you for the information!

[goss]

Is it acceptable for me to ask which chocolate is theirs?

She's a bean-to-bar artisan, who mostly caters to our local market, but I'll PM you her details. :)

What do they call their bars that aren't legally chocolate?

Aww, she told me the phrase yesterday, but it's slipped my memory. Something-bar. lol.