Better regulations on dark chocolate products are needed, as there are no limits on harmful trace substances such as lead and cadmium, the Consumer Foundation said yesterday.
Dark chocolate is often touted as being a healthier option than milk chocolate, but the nation’s domestic market lacks regulations governing it, the foundation told a news conference.
A foundation inspection found one Taiwanese product to have a high level of residual cadmium, while a Polish product was found to have a high level of residual lead, which are natural metals relatively common in food, but harmful in large quantities.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
The Polish brand, Chocoyoco, had 0.1 to 0.15 micrograms of lead per kilogram, which would put consumption of lead at 13.5 micrograms if one were to consume the 90g package, foundation inspection committee convener Lee Te-jen (李德仁) said.
The level of lead exceeds the US Food and Drug Administration’s recommended lead intake per day for children and pregnant women, which stands at 12.5 micrograms, Lee said.
A local brand marketing 100 percent dark chocolate had 0.8 to 0.85 micrograms of cadmium per kilogram, which means the product’s residual cadmium levels are higher than the EU’s maximum level of 0.8 microgams, Lee said.
It is possible that Taiwan’s volcanic soil could have higher proportions of cadmium and lead, which are transferred to the cocoa beans, foundation secretary-general Wu Jung-ta (吳榮達) said.
The foundation would take samples for further testing, Wu said.
Dark chocolate, with a high concentration of flavonoids, is considered beneficial to cardiovascular health, Wu said.
However, unlike China, the EU and the US, under the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Sanitation Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (食品中汙染物質及毒素衛生標準) there are no limits for cadmium or lead, Wu said.
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