We've read the articles about cadmium and other heavy metals in some chocolate bar brands. We eat our chocolate literally everyday! So as much as the safety of this superfood for our customers is of prime importance, we also do not want to be accumulating toxic chemicals in our bodies. 

For this reason, we ensure our main ingredients (cacao, sugar, milk) are all independent laboratory tested for heavy metals and other toxins. In most cases the manufacturer/broker provides us with that information. Or in the case of beans that we have directly imported, we paid to send the beans for testing ourselves.

We are happy to report that our chocolate is safe to enjoy. All our test results reveal either no trace, or well below FDA safety thresholds. Why do some chocolate brands contain dangerous levels of heavy metals? In most cases this is the result of accumulation in the soil either from run-off farming additives or naturally occurring, like in volcanic soil. The manufacturing process of large brands also can lead to heavy metals. Large brands use aging machinery, and the abrasion overtime wears down coatings that are probably increasing heavy metal levels. At River-Sea, we use a new 2025 wear-resistant ball mill for our chocolate.

Download the test results for our ingredients below.

We have also included test results related to our chocolate bar packaging.

Brazil

Thailand

Mexico

Tanzania, Vietnam, Peru

Organic Sugar

Organic Milk Quality Results & Technical Data Sheet

Chocolate Envelope Packaging Heavy Metal Test