Can commercial chocolate bars contain unsafe levels of heavy metals?

What's actually in it

Chocolate bars contain cacao that naturally absorbs heavy metals from soil during growth. Lead can also land on cacao beans during drying and processing. The metals end up in the finished bar. Dark chocolate has higher levels because it contains more cacao, but milk chocolate and white chocolate aren't completely free of them.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Food Chem Toxicol tested commercial chocolate bars for lead, cadmium, arsenic, and other metals. The researchers found detectable levels in most samples. Some bars had lead and cadmium levels that could pose health risks if you eat chocolate regularly.

The risk depends on how much you eat. One square now and then is unlikely to cause harm, but people who eat chocolate daily, especially dark chocolate, accumulate more metals over time. Children face higher risk because of their smaller body weight.

Check for brands that test and publish their heavy metal levels. Eat dark chocolate in moderation and vary your snacks so you're not getting the same metals from the same source every day.