A note on Cacao & Heavy Metals: In light of recent news reporting “high” levels of heavy metals such as cadmium in cacao powder products, we’d like to take a moment to reassure you on the quality of our products.
Heavy metals as described by the Food & Drug Administration are defined as Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Arsenic. This group of metals occur naturally in soil and in the earth’s crust, and can be found in numerous food products you consume every day. However, the levels needed to induce toxicity well exceed the amount found in our products. It is Sunfood’s standard to independently test every product for contaminants prior to accepting them, ensuring maximum quality.
In an overview released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the issue of naturally occurring lead is addressed:
“For hundreds of years, lead has been mined, smelted, refined, and used in products (e.g., as an additive in paint, gasoline, leaded pipes, solder, crystal, and ceramics). Natural levels of lead in soil range between 50 parts per million (ppm) and 400 ppm. Mining, smelting, and refining activities have resulted in substantial increases in lead levels in the environment, especially near mining and smelting sites. For example, near some types of industrial and municipal facilities, and adjacent to highways soil lead concentrations have been reported to be more than 11,000 ppm according to the National Research Council.2
Lead particles in the environment can attach to dust and be carried long distances in the air. Such lead-containing dust can be removed from the air by rain and deposited on surface soil, where it may remain for many years. In addition, heavy rains may cause lead in surface soil to migrate into ground water and eventually into water systems.1”
It is always our highest priority to find the absolute best products from around the world, from the most trustworthy and authentic sources, and to test them to make sure they are of high enough quality for the Sunfood brand. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us at 888 RAW FOOD, or email support@sunfood.com.
1. Lead in the Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, 2013.
2. National Research Council. 1980. Lead in the human environment. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences. Report Number PB-82-117136. OSTI Identifier: 5455381; ISBN No. 0309030218.
