Consumer Reports Says Hershey's Dark Chocolate Has Heavy Metals

It seems like we are all becoming a little more aware of what is in our food these days but even with that being said, we all enjoy a good piece of chocolate every now and then. No matter the holiday or the time of year, there is a constant on shelves year round that is also a popular favorite: Hershey's chocolate.

It looks like you may want to skip that dark chocolate Hershey's bar next time around, according to a new study from Consumer Reports. According to a recent press release from the company, their dark chocolate bars contain harmful heavy metals. This includes Hershey's dark chocolate bars and other dark chocolate bars made by the company.

Consumer Reports says they have brought a petition to the company with more than seventy-five-thousand signatures asking them to remove "harmful heavy metals" from its dark chocolate products to make it safer to eat.

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Their report says it is possible for the company to make a dark chocolate product without harmful heavy metals, as they have tested other dark chocolate products and brands that have done just that.

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So which products should you skip next time you get a little craving for something sweet? Here are a handful of Hershey's products that Consumer Reports tested and reported on as being high in heavy metals like lead and cadmium:

Lily's Extremely Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa
Hershey's Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate
The Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Chocolate 82% Cocoa Bar

It is no secret consuming heavy metals is bad for the average consumer but according to Consumer Reports, consistently consuming "even small amounts of heavy metals" can lead to health problems like immune system suppression, kidney damage and hypertension, among other major health problems.

The good news is that in March, the Chief Financial Officer of Hershey's shared that they were looking at ways they could remove heavy metals from their products and into options to make their products safer in the future. We will keep you updated on how things play out but it is definitely something to be mindful of now.