The Hershey Company has been sued by a customer for allegedly selling dark chocolate that contained lead and cadmium.
As reported by Reuters, Christopher Lazazzaro, a Nassau County, New York resident filed the proposed class action lawsuit against the chocolatier in federal court in Central Islip, New York on December 28, 2022. Here’s what we know, so far:
READ MORE: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Found To Contain ‘Heavy Metals,’ Can Cause A ‘Slew Of Health Issues’
Hershey’s misled buyers of its dark chocolate by not disclosing the products contain lead and another potentially harmful chemical, according to a lawsuit filed against the candy maker. https://t.co/z1y5NgBr09
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 2, 2023
Hershey Sued By New York Consumer For Alleged Lead & Cadmium In Chocolate
Lazazzaro claims in the suit that he would’ve never purchased Hershey’s ‘Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate,’ Lily’s ‘Extra Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa’ and Lily’s ‘Extreme Dark Chocolate 85%’ if he was aware through a disclosure from Hershey that these candy products contained metals.
The suit came two weeks after an article published by Consumer Reports revealed scientific test results of twenty-eight dark chocolate bars, searching for lead and cadmium as ingredients, specifically.
A new lawsuit alleges Hershey sells dark chocolate products that contain undisclosed and dangerous levels of lead and cadmium. https://t.co/85aYTFdtOP
— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) January 1, 2023
Scientific Testing Of The Chocolate Bars & Results
All of the bars were found to have contained heavy metals, as the report showed. Twenty-three of the chocolate bars from popular brands such as Trader Joe’s, Godiva, Dove and Lindt all had potentially harmful levels of lead, cadmium or both within them (for those who eat about an ounce of chocolate a day).
According to the article, three chocolate bars in particular; Hershey’s Special Dark Bark, Lily’s 70% bar and Lily’s 85% bar were high in lead. The last bar was also high in cadmium as well, as noted by Consumer Reports.
Lazazzaro is currently seeking “at least $5 million in damages through the potential class action lawsuit,” including at least $500 per transaction, as Fox News reports, which is allowed under the law in New York.
