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Cacao Beans
Cacao Beans
Low concern
Whole-food seed; contains caffeine and theobromine. May contain cadmium and lead from soil uptake; recent testing has flagged some cocoa products for heavy metals.
Found in
302 products
What it is
Seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, fermented and dried; the raw material for chocolate and cocoa products.
Source of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and chocolate flavor; sometimes used whole as cacao nibs.
Why it's flagged
- Heavy metals (cadmium, lead) flagged in recent testing of dark chocolate products
- Caffeine and theobromine content
What regulators actually say
"Maximum levels for cadmium in chocolate and cocoa powder sold to the final consumer are set under Regulation 2021/1323."
Regulatory status
United States — FDA
GRAS food
European Union — EFSA
Permitted food; cadmium maximum levels set in EU 2021/1323
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