Heavy Metals

Statement About Lead and Cadmium

Recently, Consumer Reports published an article about finding dangerous levels of heavy metals in many popular chocolate products. As a result, some customers have asked us about the safety of Venice Organics chocolate.

You can rest assured: Venice Organics’ production facility tests our beans regularly and has confirmed that the cadmium and lead levels in our chocolate are well below harmful levels.

Here’s how we ensure your safety:

  • We source high-quality ingredients. We pay approximately three times the market price because these beans come from farms that have the highest standards, are sustainable and are known for their rigorous quality control practices.
  • We store our cocoa beans and other ingredients in clean, controlled environments and use packaging materials that do not introduce heavy metals into the chocolate.
  • Our production facility maintains a strict cleaning regimen for all processing equipment and throughout the facility. They inspect daily and clean machinery, utensils, and surfaces that come into contact with chocolate or other ingredients.
  • The facility tests our chocolate continually and is transparent in providing us with accurate information.


It has been our greatest intention since we started Venice Organics to offer a chocolate that is made with love, integrity and gratitude, and we have strived to address the issues that matter to us (and you!), such as sustainability, health, and love for animals and the environment. It is this passion that drives us to deliver products that feed both your body and soul, with the utmost care.

 

Additional Information About Lead and Cadmium

  • Cadmium and lead are naturally occurring in soil, with volcanic soils tending to have higher concentration levels. There is little to no control over these factors, not only for cacao trees, but other types of foods such as leafy vegetables, grains, potatoes, legumes and nuts, stem/root vegetables, and more. The foods with highest concentrations of cadmium are shellfish, leafy greens and rice—foods that many of us consume on a regular basis.
  • California’s maximum allowable dose levels are 0.5 mcg (ppm) for lead and 4.1 mcg (ppm) for cadmium. These levels were determined with extreme caution and are the toughest in the nation.
  • According to the Proposition 65 Maximum Allowable Daily Level (MADL) for Reproductive Toxicity for Cadmium report: “Exposure at a level 1,000 times greater than the MADL is expected to have no observable effect.”
    In other words: 4.1mcg consumed every day is not likely to make you sick.
  • The absorption process in our bodies of heavy metals plays a role in how these metals will affect us. According to the CDC, only 6% of ingested cadmium is absorbed. This absorption level also depends on the presence of important nutrients such as iron and zinc, which are some of the many healthy components of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is also packed with antioxidants, which help fight and reduce free radicals.