Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, may also contain appreciable levels of toxic heavy metals, such as cadmium, which may be present naturally in the soil of cocoa plantations. For products containing over 50% cocoa, the European Commission has set a limit for cadmium of 0.8 mg/kg, while for chocolate containing between 30%-50% cocoa, the limit is 0.3 mg/kg. The state of California recommends a maximum daily intake of 4.1 micrograms of cadmium. According to a Consumer Reports study in 2022, several dark chocolate products were found to contain high levels of lead and cadmium when compared against California's maximum allowable daily dose levels.
