Never Eat These Chocolates (Brands, Toxins and Ingredients To Watch Out)

Worst Chocolates To Eat Chocolate. Even just thinking about decadent, rich treat makes those with a major sweet tooth begin to salivate.

It is one of those rare indulgences that can truly be beneficial to your body, but only if you are eating the right kind.

Not so surprisingly, most chocolate companies, especially the popular, cheap ones, use cheap ingredients that can wreak havoc on your body instead of benefiting it.

Harmful ingredients are found in brands like Hershey’s, Mars, Nestle, Godiva, Ghiradelli and Russell Stover.

Sadly, paying premium prices does not always mean premium ingredients.

Ingredients worth avoiding

High Fructose Corn Syrup—it is no secret that this ingredient has been linked to some serious health issues and should be avoided at all costs.

Princeton University published a study linking HCFS to higher weight gain than other sugars.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Trans fat)—These fats are made by adding hydrogen to an oil which changes its chemical make-up to one that is more olid and saturated.

Trans fat has been found to be a dangerous ingredient linked to significantly increased risks of heart disease.

As small as a daily 40 calorie increase in trans fat showed a 23% increased risk.

When checking out your food label, look for ingredients like “partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil/ palm oil/ soybean oil/ vegetable oil/ canola oil”, “trans fats” or “trans fatty acids”.

The National Academies of Science has stated about trans fats,

“…since they are not essential and provide no known health benefit, there is no safe level of trans fats, and people should eat as little of them as possible…”

This ingredient is found in far too many sweet, processed foods, including many of the above chocolate brands.

Genetically Modified Organisms—GMOs have been the topic of conversation for quite a few years now.

Unfortunately, unless you choose an organic brand of chocolate, it is difficult to know which ingredients, if any, are non-GMO since candy products are not required to be labeled.

Some GMO foods have been linked to serious health issues including allergic reactions, cancer, toxicity and reproductive issues.

One ingredient commonly found in candy bars called soy lecithin is made from one of the most commonly genetically engineered ingredients on the planet—soy.

Growth Hormone—it is very likely that your favorite candy bar has been made with milk containing Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH).

This hormone is strictly used to increase milk production in cows, but the problem with that is that it has been shown to cause major health problems for those cows.

Mastitis is one of those health problems and occurs when one or many milk ducts become clogged and then infected.

The pus from that infection can leak into the milk as well as any antibiotics used to treat the infection.

This is absolutely something that needs to be avoided as rBGH milk contains excess levels of the natural growth factor (IGF-1).

IGF-1 is easily absorbed through the gut, and excess levels have been shown to cause breast, colon and prostate cancers as well as contribute to the decreased ability of the body to naturally defend against early submicroscopic cancers.

To ensure you are not eating a chocolate bar with rBGH milk, buy an organic brand.

Artificial colors—sometimes it seems like artificial colors are mentioned every time a poor food choice is discussed.

While these colors are pretty obvious in candies like M&Ms or other multi-colored candies, you may be surprised to know that they can also be found in brown chocolate candies as well.

One example is Godiva’s 8 piece gold box and Russell Stover’s pecan clusters.

These candies are made with so many unnatural ingredients that the end result color is not brown so they have to add coloring to make it look natural.

Artificial food coloring has been linked to cancers and hyperactivity in children.

Artificial flavors—again, another topic that seems to pop up frequently, artificial flavors are developed in labs and have never been reviewed by the FDA for their safety.

One purpose of these flavors is to make you believe you are eating something that is sweet when it wouldn’t originally taste sweet.

Lead and Cadmium

A non-profit organization called As You Sow is one that has a mission to hold companies accountable when it comes to the safety and quality of their ingredients.

They had an independent laboratory test 50 different chocolate products and found that 35 of those 50 contained lead and cadmium amounts that are above the levels considered safe according to the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.

This is EXTREMELY problematic as both lead and cadmium have well-documented negative health impacts.

Some of the brands that contained high amounts of these heavy metals include Hershey’s, Earth Circle Foods, Ghirardelli, Cadbury, Lindt, Trader Joe’s, Godiva, Mars and Whole Foods.

Have a look at the chart below provided by As You Sow that shows each of the products they tested.

Manufacturer		Product	Warning Required
	Albertson’s, LLC (SuperValu, Inc.)	Wild Harvest Organic Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix	No warning required
	Alfred Ritter Gmbh & Co Kg	Ritter Sport 73% Cocoa Fine Extra Dark Chocolate with fine cocoa from Ecuador	Lead and Cadmium*
	Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier	Bissinger’s All natural 60% dark chocolate, whole almonds	Lead*
	Cadbury Uk Ltd	Cadbury Mini Eggs Royal Dark Dark Chocolate With A Crisp Sugar Shell	Lead*
	Cadbury Uk Ltd	Cadbury Royal Dark Dark Chocolate Indulgent Semi-Sweet	Lead*
	Creative Natural Products, Inc.	Chocolove Extra Strong Dark Chocolate- 77% Cocoa Content	Lead*
	Creative Natural Products, Inc.	Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate Bar 70% Cocoa Content	Lead*
	DeMet’s Candy Company	Flipz 50% cacao Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels	No warning required
	Earth Circle Foods Dba River Canyon Retreat Inc.	Earth Circle Organics Organic Balinese Cacao Nibs Cold Pressed	Cadmium
	Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC	Endangered Species Chocolate Natural Dark Chocolate with 88% Cocoa	Lead and Cadmium*
	Endangered Species Chocolate, LLC	Endangered Species Chocolate Natural Dark Chocolate (72% Cocoa)	Lead*
	Equal Exchange, Inc.	Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Very Dark (71% Cacao)	Lead and Cadmium
	Ferrero USA Inc.	Ferrero Collection Fine assorted Confections	No warning required
	Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark Twilight Delight (72% Cacao)	Cadmium*
	Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Bar 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate	Lead and Cadmium*
	Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghiradelli Intense Dark Midnight Reverie (86% Cacao)	No warning required
	Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghirardelli Chocolate Milk Chocolate Eggs	No warning required*
	Ghirardelli Chocolate Company	Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Bar 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate	No warning required*
	Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.	Godiva Chocolatier 50% Cacao Dark Chocolate Sea Salt	Lead
	Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.	Godiva Chocolatier 85% Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate	Lead and Cadmium
	Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.	Godiva Chocolatier 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate	Lead*
	Hershey Company	Scharffen Berger Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate (62% cacao)	Cadmium*
	Hershey Company	Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate (82% cacao)	Cadmium*
	Hershey Company	Dagoba Organic Chocolate Eclipse Extra Strong Dark Chocolate (87% Cacao)	Lead and Cadmium*
	Hershey Company	Dagoba Organic Chocolate New Moon Rich Dark Chocolate (74% Cacao)	Lead and Cadmium*
	Hershey Company	Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate	Lead*
	Hershey Company	Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate	No warning required*
	Hershey Company	Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Eggs	No warning required*
	Hershey Company	Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny Easy To Snap And Share	No warning required*
	Jo’s Candies	Jo’s Candies Dark Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers All Natural	No warning required
	Kraft Foods Global, Inc.	Cote D’Or 86% Noir Brut Belgian Dark Chocolate Confection	Lead and Cadmium*
	Kraft Foods Group, Inc.	Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate Bar with Honey and Almond Nougat	No warning required
	Lake Champlain Chocolates	Lake Champlain Chocolates Dark Chocolate Organic (57% Cocoa)	Lead and Cadmium*
	Lindt & Sprungli (Usa) Inc.	Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar	Lead and Cadmium*
	Lindt & Sprungli (Usa) Inc.	Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Extra Dark Chocolate Bar	Lead and Cadmium*
	Lindt & Sprungli (USA) Inc.	Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt Dark (with Fleur de Sel sea salt crystals)	No warning required
	Lindt & Sprungli Gmbh (Germany)	Lindt Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate	No warning required*
	Mars, Incorporated	Snickers	No warning required
	Mars, Incorporated	CocoaVia Daily Cocoa Extract Supplement	No warning required
	Mars, Incorporated	Dove Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar	Cadmium*
	Mars, Incorporated	Dove Eggs Dark Chocolate Silky Smooth	Lead and Cadmium*
	Mars, Incorporated	Snickers Bar	No warning required*
	Mars, Incorporated	Dove Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny Silky Smooth	No warning required*
	Mars, Incorporated	M&M’s Chocolate Candies Milk Chocolate, Made with Real Milk Chocolate	No warning required*
	Mondelez International, Inc.	Green & Black’s Organic Dark 85% Cacao Bar	Lead and Cadmium*
	Mondelez International, Inc.	Green & Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate (34% Cacao)	No warning required
	Mondelez International, Inc.	Toblerone of Switzerland Milk Chocolate with Honey and Almond Nougat	No warning required*
	Mondelez International, Inc.	Green & Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate (34% Cacao)	No warning required*
	Moonstruck Chocolate Co	Moonstruck Solid Dark Chocolate Hand-Painted Calico Bunny	Lead*
	Moonstruck Chocolate Co.	Moonstruck Dark Chocolate Chile Variado (68% cacao)	Lead
	Nestle Holdings, Inc.	Nestle Crunch	No warning required
	Nestle Holdings, Inc.	Ovaltine Classic Malt Mix	No warning required
	Nestle Holdings, Inc.	Nestle Crunch Milk Chocolate with Crisped Rice	No warning required*
	Newman’s Own Organics- The Second Generation, Inc.	Newman’s Own Organics The Second Generation Super Dark Chocolate Premium Organic Chocolate 70% Cocoa	Lead and Cadmium*
	Russell Stover Candies, LLC	Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Break-Apart Bunny	No warning required*
	See’s Candies, Inc.	See’s Candies Premium Extra Dark Chocolate Bar 62% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	See’s Candies, Inc.	See’s Candies 4.5 oz Sitting Rabbit Dark Chocolate	Lead*
	Starbucks Corporation	Starbucks Dark Chocolate covered grahams	No warning required*
	Taza Chocolate	Taza Wicked Dark 95% Stone Ground Organic Chocolate	Cadmium*
	Taza Chocolate	Taza Mexicano Super Dark Direct Trade 85% Dark	Lead and Cadmium
	The Hershey Company	Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate	No warning required
	The Hershey Company	Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups	No warning required
	The Kroger Co.	Private Selection 72% cacao Dark Chocolate Swiss Bar	Lead and Cadmium
	Theo Chocolate	Theo Organic Fair Trade Pure 85% Dark Chocolate	Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar Toffee With Walnuts and Pecans (70% cacao)	Lead
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao Super Dark	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar 85% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Swiss 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate	Lead*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate	Lead*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Pound Plus- Dark Chocolate	Lead*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Tanzania 73% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Sao Tome 70% Cacao	Lead*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Papua New Guinea 70% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Dominican Republic 70% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Ghana 70% Cacao	Lead*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Venezuela 70% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Ecuador 66% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Trader Joe’s Company	Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Peru 60% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*
	Vosges, Ltd.	Wild Ophelia All Natural New Orleans Chili Dark Chocolate Bar (70% cacao)	Lead
	Whitman’s Candies, Inc.	Whitman’s Solid Milk Chocolate Rabbit	No warning required*
	Whole Foods Market, Inc.	Whole Foods 72% cacao Organic Dark Chocolate & Almond Tanzania Schoolhouse Project	Lead and Cadmium
	Whole Foods Market, Inc.	365 Everyday Value Organic Dark Chocolate Coconut 56% Cacao	Lead and Cadmium*

What can you do?

Clearly, there is a need for high quality chocolate that will actually benefit your body instead of damaging it.

Thankfully, several companies have stepped up and developed chocolate treats that are made from organic, real ingredients.

These companies offer clean alternatives to most favorites.

They are: Alter EcoSjaaks Organic ChocolatesUnReal CandyJustin’sSun CupsTheo ChocolateEqual Exchange ChocolateChocolove’s Organic BarsSalazon Chocolate Co.

Green & Black’s Organic The next time you’re ready to indulge in a sweet, chocolatey treat, choose one that will both satisfy your craving and provide wonderful nutrients!

Have you eaten any of these chocolates before and suffered from any digestive issues like, gas, constipation indigestion, go to the next page and learn about the 3 tips to heal your digestive system…

About the Author:

Emma Deangela is the best selling author of The Alkaline Diet Program and 80/20 Fat Loss. She has helped over tens of thousands of men and women to lose weight and transform their health with sound nutrition advice. Check out her 4 foods to never eat for breakfast video to lose more than 18 lbs in 3 weeks.

What are your favorite chocolates? Do you eat any of these brands?

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Posted

November 7, 2017

Health News

staff content

Tags:

chocolate, chocolate treats, chocolates, sugar, sweet tooth, toxic chocolates

Comments

29 responses to “Never Eat These Chocolates (Brands, Toxins and Ingredients To Watch Out)”

Elizabeth McClung

November 8, 2017

I have been purchasing dark chocolate bars from Dollar General that is distributed by Dolgencorp, LLC a product of Poland. I will call the number listed: 888-309-9030 and ask them for more information on their product. You may want to do the same. On the packaging it says that 100% of the proceeds go to Dollar General for the Literacy Foundation, which we know makes the income from these sales tax deductible for the company.

Reply
Pauline Cyr

November 8, 2017

I am shocked by all the chocolates that you have stated are bad for us. The ones you suggest are probably found in Health food stores?

Reply
Winston

November 8, 2017

Hi Emma,
That’s why I’ve subscribed to you newsletter. Thank you so much for your guidance. You’ve been giving us a wealth of information. You’re a true inspiration. Look forward to hearing more informative stuff from you. Keep up the good work.
Winston.

Reply
voluntaryist

November 8, 2017

You ran together all the safe companies. Were there 8? I don’t buy any who use refined sugar. I have been buying TJ’s because it is reasonable and sweetened with cane syrup, so thanks for the warning.

Lately (last year or so) I have switched to raw, organic cacao nibs in bulk at Amazon. I’ll bet it hasn’t been tested. Is the problem in the soil or is it in the fertilizer?

Reply
Gatluak Deng

November 8, 2017

The world is no longer a safe place to live in. It is full of shit!

Reply
Phyllis

November 8, 2017

When no warning is required, does that mean it’s not bad enough to warn?

Reply
1. Lisa
  
  November 9, 2017
  
  I’m wondering the same thing ? What does no warning mean ?
  
  Reply
2. madeline
  
  November 10, 2017
  
  when no warning is required, does that mean it’s not bad enough to warn?
  
  Reply
Trish Ross

November 9, 2017

Wondering if no warning means it is a safer type?

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Barbara Rieger

November 9, 2017

I purchase Ghirardelli chocolate and Lindt’s two bars at a time for my hubby; thinking it’s the better of the others on the shelve. Once purchased and ate Green and Black Organic for myself it was really good. But smaller than the others; yet the only one on your list of good brands I’ve ever seen.
This past week I ate an entire Ritter chocolate bar and had extreme allergy reaction. Taste good but not worth it. I guess I’ll just purchase on the Green and Black Organic from now on. That’s until I can find some of the others.

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Jeanne C.

November 9, 2017

What does the asterisk in the 3rd column signify?

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Karen

November 9, 2017

Would it be possible to list the chocolates that you stated offer clean alternatives because they all run together in the article making it difficult to distinguish them. Thank you.

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Deanna

November 10, 2017

I want to share this article but until you add the meaning of “No Warning Required” I cannot share it on my social media platforms.

Reply
Cookie Tangredi

November 10, 2017

I have been buying a 70% dark chocolate bar at Aldi’s it is from Germany. I didn’t see it on the list. I hope it is OK. I don’t know what to eat anymore even the organic healthy food are contaminated. Thanks for all you do.

Reply
Audrey

November 10, 2017

Thank you Emma. Your work is truly needed and appreciated. Blessings.

Reply
Brenda

November 10, 2017

Please list the good chocolates at the bottom of the article in a clear list that is not jumbled up. I want to search for these chocolates. Thank you.

Reply
Dan S.

November 10, 2017

What do the asterisks signify in the list ?

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Robbie

November 10, 2017

Hi I see you have green and black listed both as unsafe as well as safe chocolate. Was this an error or is there a certain green and black chocolate to eat? I usually get the 85% dark.

Reply
Debra

November 10, 2017

Please explain the asterisk in the third column and the ‘no warning needed’ in this column, does that mean it is safe??

Reply
1. Sue
  
  November 15, 2017
  
  This article is quoting from the list published by As You Sow organization, asyousow.org. This website has the reordered list so the safe foods are listed last. They state “The asterisk reflects testing that was performed in 2016.”
  
  Reply
Hilda Raby

November 12, 2017

Best and safest brands for diabetics.
Please advise.Thanks.

Reply
E.W.

November 13, 2017

What does the asterisk mean? It appears several times in the “Warning Required” column (ie: Lead* Lead and Cadmium* No warning required*) but with no explanation.

Reply
Farm wife

November 29, 2017

What about safety of Marabou 70% coco made by Mondelez(Swedish chocolate bought cover seas) and what about safety of Aldi dark chocolate? Also Pascha organic 70% chocolate?

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Verna

February 17, 2018

What name brand of dark oranganic Cho that does not have soy in it . To

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1. Verna
  
  February 17, 2018
  
  What name brand of dark organic Cho that does not have soy in it .
  
  Reply
Carol

March 20, 2018

What will be the names on the ingredient list? Will it say “lead, cadnium” or under another name?

Reply
Aura Bijou’

June 1, 2018

How do Lily’s chocolates do? I’m trying to avoid sugar and these bars and chips have helped me stay sane!

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Fox Loretta E.

April 9, 2021

Does Rawmio raw organic chocolate have lead and cadmium etc. in it?

Reply
Mary

January 6, 2023

What about Bioengineering. Many of the chocolates you listed have bioengineered ingredients which can be as bad or worse.

Reply