Is there cadmium or lead in dark chocolate?

Cadmium occurs naturally in soil and cacao plants take it up, with concentrations varying substantially by growing region — parts of Latin America have naturally higher soil cadmium than West Africa. Because cadmium concentrates in the non-fat cocoa solids, dark chocolate carries more per gram than milk chocolate, and cocoa powder more again. The European Union has set maximum levels for cadmium in cocoa and chocolate products, which establishes both that the issue is real enough to regulate and that a framework exists.

The evidence does not support the claim that eating dark chocolate exposes a typical consumer to a dangerous amount of cadmium, and it does not support the claim that there is nothing to think about. Cadmium accumulates over a lifetime and dietary exposure comes from many foods, so a statement about chocolate alone is not a statement about anyone's total exposure. ChocolateHQ publishes no numeric limits or measured levels, because its sources for them have not been verified at the passage level.

The existence of soil-derived cadmium uptake and of regulatory limits is well established. Reporting on the topic is frequently poor in both directions: consumer testing coverage tends to compare measured levels against the strictest available reference value without saying so, and industry commentary tends to omit that limits exist because a risk was identified.