The in-house brand of dark chocolate sold at Trader Joe’s incorporates harmful levels of toxic metals including lead and cadmium, alleged two separate lawsuits filed against the favored food market chain.
Two Recent Yorkers filed separate lawsuits against Trader Joe’s for his or her “continuing failure to open up to consumers that” its products were unsafe, based on court filings.
One plaintiff, Tamakia Herd, filed suit in Manhattan federal court alleging that Trader Joe’s knowingly continued selling two products that were compromised — the “Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao” bar and the “Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao” bar.
The opposite plaintiff, Thomas Ferrante, who’s represented by the identical attorneys as Herd, filed his lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court.
Each lawsuits cited a Consumer Reports story from last month which found that greater than two-dozen top-name brands including Trader Joe’s, Hershey’s, Godiva, Ghirardelli, Lily’s, and Green & Black’s all sold dark chocolate which contained various levels of cadmium and lead.
Last week, the attorneys representing Ferrante filed a separate lawsuit against Hershey’s on behalf of one other Nassau County resident.
Last month, a Consumer Reports story cited studies which showed high levels of toxic heavy metals in several brands of dark chocolate.Shutterstock
The suit demanded the corporate pay no less than $5 million in damages over the “serious health risk” posed by heavy metals in its “Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate.”
In 2001, California passed Proposition 65, a law which set a maximum allowable each day level (MADL) of lead (0.5 micrograms) and cadmium (4.1 micrograms) in foods.
Consumer Reports tested an oz. of 28 different chocolate bars. It found that Trader Joe’s “Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao” contained 192% of the allowable MADL under California law.
Trader Joe’s “Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao” was found to have excessive levels of each lead (127% of MADL) and cadmium (229%), based on Consumer Reports.
In keeping with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cadmium is a “cancer-causing agent.”
A separate lawsuit was filed last week against The Hershey Company over allegedly harmful metals in its dark chocolate.Shutterstock
“Exposure to low levels of cadmium in air, food, water, and particularly in tobacco smoke over time may construct up cadmium within the kidneys and cause kidney disease and fragile bones,” based on the CDC.
Lead exposure has been linked to several conditions including anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Children are especially vulnerable to cognitive impairment, lower IQ, and behavioral problems in the event that they fall victim to guide poisoning, based on health experts.
The Post has sought comment from Trader Joe’s and The Hershey Company.
Dark chocolate, which is taken into account a healthier alternative to take advantage of chocolate, is made up mostly of cacao, the bean which is alleged to supply vast health advantages including lower blood pressure, improvement of blood flow to the guts and brain, and prevention of blood clots.
However the cacao plant absorbs cadmium through the soil because it grows while the outer shell of the cacao beans are found to contain traces of lead after they’re harvested.
