How much dark chocolate can kids safely eat?

Why portion size matters

Dark chocolate contains lead and cadmium from the cacao itself. The darker the bar, the more cacao, and the more metals. A child weighing 40 pounds absorbs these metals at a much higher rate per body weight than an adult, so the same square of chocolate hits a kid harder.

What the research says

A 2026 review in Food Chem Toxicol calculated how much lead and cadmium kids take in from dark chocolate at different consumption levels. The findings were sobering.

A child eating just one ounce of dark chocolate per day could exceed safe cadmium limits. For lead, any amount adds to the total burden from other sources like water and household dust, and there is no safe threshold for lead in children.

Kids who ate dark chocolate several times a week had measurably higher metal exposure than those who stuck to milk chocolate or skipped chocolate altogether.

Safer options

Milk chocolate has much less cacao and therefore lower metal levels. White chocolate has essentially none. For kids who love dark chocolate, treat it as an occasional food rather than a daily snack. Look for brands that publish heavy metal test results, and choose bars on the lower end. Save the 85% cacao bars for the adults.