Heavy metals in food databaseOtherChecked 2026.10.03
Chocolate and cocoa: cadmium, lead
The National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) measured cadmium in 180 chocolates and 140 cocoa powders bought online or at supermarkets near Tokyo (purchased April 2015 to August 2016). Chocolate averaged 0.20 and peaked at 2.3 mg/kg, and cocoa powder averaged 0.32 and peaked at 1.8 mg/kg. Applying the EU limits, 4.4% of the chocolates and 18.6% of the cocoa powders exceeded them.
Levels measured in Japanese government surveys and studies
| Metal | Form / state | Mean | Range / max | Samples | Survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, all chocolate (milk, dark, and white) | 0.20 (median 0.12) | 0.00021–2.3 | 180 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, dark chocolate | 0.25 (median 0.15) | 0.025–2.3 | 140 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, milk chocolate | 0.043 (median 0.023) | 0.012–0.31 | 35 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, white chocolate | 0.00059 (median 0.00028) | max 0.0016 (all samples below the limit of quantification) | 5 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, cocoa powder | 0.32 (median 0.16) | 0.015–1.8 | 140 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, chocolate (labeled cocoa solids under 50%) | 0.040 (median 0.023) | max 0.18 | 23 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, chocolate (cocoa solids 50% to under 70%) | 0.17 (median 0.12) | max 0.74 | 41 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, chocolate (cocoa solids 70% to under 80%) | 0.32 (median 0.19) | max 2.3 | 55 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, chocolate (cocoa solids 80% or more) | 0.28 (median 0.25) | max 0.71 | 21 samples | NIHS, purchased 2015–16 |
Units are mg/kg (= ppm). This is a survey of commercial products bought online or at supermarkets near Tokyo (April 2015 to August 2016), not a randomly sampled national survey (brand names and origins are unknown). The cocoa solids categories are based on the labeling, and the total is 140 samples (some of the milk and dark chocolates). No Japanese survey of lead was found.
Limits (Japan, international, EU)
| Set by | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (Food Sanitation Act) | No standard for cadmium or lead | — |
| Codex (international standards) | Cadmium, chocolate: cocoa solids under 30% 0.3, 30% to under 50% 0.7, 50% to under 70% 0.8, 70% or more 0.9 / cocoa powder 2.0 | The Codex page also says that “maximum levels for chocolate products are under consideration,” while the table has values. The year of adoption could not be confirmed |
| EU (Regulation 2023/915) | Cadmium, chocolate: milk chocolate with cocoa solids under 30% 0.10, under 50% (or milk chocolate with 30% or more) 0.30, 50% or more 0.80 / cocoa powder 0.60 (for consumers) | — |
Good to know
- Even at the same cocoa content, products differ by orders of magnitude. For all chocolate, the minimum of 0.00021 and the maximum of 2.3 differ by about 10,000 times, and for cocoa powder the minimum of 0.015 and the maximum of 1.8 differ by about 100 times. The maximum of 2.3 was a dark chocolate with 70-something percent cocoa.
- The higher the labeled cocoa solids, the higher the median (under 50%: 0.023 → 50–70%: 0.12 → 70–80%: 0.19 → 80% or more: 0.25), but the correlation is reported to be weak. It cannot be said flatly that “higher cocoa content means higher cadmium.”
- Applying the EU limits, those exceeded were 8 chocolates (4.4%) and 26 cocoa powders (18.6%). Because Japan has no standard, this does not mean a legal violation.
- There is also an assessment that the contribution to intake is small. JECFA (2021) puts the average contribution of cocoa products to total intake at 0.1–9.4% (not a Japanese value).
- A worked example (body weight 55.1 kg, absorption not considered). At the survey average of 0.32, 25 g of chocolate is 8 μg, about 2% of the FSCJ’s tolerable weekly intake (7 μg/kg body weight/week = 386 μg per week). At the survey maximum of 2.3 it is 57.5 μg, about 15%, and measured against EFSA’s 2.5 μg/kg body weight/week it is about 42%. The tolerable intake is a guide for the long-term average, and exceeding this share in a single meal does not immediately become a problem (Consumer Affairs Agency).
- No survey values for lead in Japanese chocolate and cocoa were found. The US private organization Consumer Reports (December 2022) reported that 23 of 28 dark chocolate products exceeded California’s daily intake guideline for either lead (0.5 μg) or cadmium (4.1 μg) “in one ounce.” This is a private test, and the yardstick is not a regulatory limit for food.
Related explainers
Pages for each metal
Sources
- Kataoka Y et al. Shokuhin Eiseigaku Zasshi (Journal of the Food Hygienic Society of Japan) 2018;59(6):269-274 (cadmium in commercial chocolate and cocoa in Japan)
- WHO JECFA database, “Cadmium”
- MAFF, “International standards for cadmium in food” (Codex)
- EU Regulation 2023/915 (maximum levels for contaminants in food)
- FSCJ, “Food health impact assessment of cadmium (summary)”
- Consumer Affairs Agency, “Q&A on cadmium in food”
- Consumer Reports, “Testing of dark chocolate” (December 2022. A private test, confirmed through secondary reporting)
Last checked 2026.10.03 (against the original government documents and papers, collected and cross-checked in Gemini Notebook).
Heavy metals occur naturally in soil and the sea, and every food contains small amounts. This page lists facts from government surveys, limits and assessments and from published papers; it does not judge any food as good or bad. Where there is official advice — such as on eating fish during pregnancy — follow it.