Cacao health | Cacao nutrition | Ceremonial cacao

Are You Concerned About Heavy Metals in Your Chocolate?

We’ve heard the stories and seen the class action lawsuits about heavy metals—cadmium, lead, and others—found in some industrial chocolate brands.


Like many of our customers, we enjoy Keith’s Cacao every day, and we take pride in making it as pure and safe as possible.


Every step of our cacao-making process is guided by care, connection, and integrity. We source our beans only from small, family-run farms—never large monoculture plantations—ensuring that each bean is grown with respect for the earth and the people who tend it.

Most of our customers drink Keith’s Cacao every day. We do too!


Our skilled team lightly toasts and hand-peels every single bean. This mindful, hands-on process allows us to spot and remove any beans that aren’t in perfect condition—something machines simply can’t do.


Hand peeling also removes more of the cacao husk than mechanical winnowing ever could. Since the husk can contain higher levels of natural metal contaminants, this extra attention helps keep our cacao as pure and safe as possible.


To ensure the highest quality, every batch of Keith’s 100% Pure Ceremonial Grade Cacao is independently tested for heavy metals. Our results consistently fall well below the limits set by both the EU and U.S. FDA.


For context, the EU’s 2019 regulations require that cacao and chocolate with 50% or more cacao contain less than 0.80 ppm of Cadmium and 0.225 ppm of Lead. Our cacao is consistently and significantly lower than these standards, making it pure and safe to enjoy every day.

OUR TEST RESULTS:

Every cup of Keith’s Cacao is pure and safe to enjoy every day.

So why do some brands show higher levels? While we can’t speak for others, it’s likely that large-scale, industrial chocolate production contributes to contamination. Heavy machinery can introduce metals during processing—something our small-batch, hand-crafted approach completely avoids.


It’s also important to understand that trace amounts of heavy metals are naturally present in many foods. This happens when metals accumulate in soil over time, often due to the use of pesticides and fertilizers or because the land sits on mineral-rich volcanic soil.


In our case, any traces that appear in testing most likely come from the latter—nature’s own geology.


Through mindful sourcing, careful hand processing, and ongoing testing, we ensure that every cup of Keith’s Cacao is both pure and safe—crafted with love, integrity, and deep respect for the Earth.

Have questions? We’re happy to help—just email us at info@keithscacao.com

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