There’s nothing sweet about this bargain buy.
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Grocery store chain Trader Joe’s is being sued by a customer after a report found abnormally high levels of lead and cadmium were found in two of its dark chocolate bars.
The lawsuit was filed in Central Islip, New York by Thomas Ferrante, who alleged that he read the labels to scan for ingredients and wouldn’t have purchased if he had known about the metals.
A second lawsuit was filed by Tamakia Herd which claimed that the grocery store chain knew about the high levels of lead and cadmium in two of its chocolate bars but continued to sell them anyway.
Both lawsuits come in light of a report last month that found 23 of 28 dark chocolate bars tested contained levels of the metals that could be harmful to consumers eating one ounce or more of the sweet treat each day.
Among these 23 bars were Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao and Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao bars, both of which are named in the suit.
The lawsuit is asking for $5 million in damages, including $500 per transaction per New York state law.
“Frequent exposure to lead in adults, for example, can lead to nervous system problems, hypertension, immune system suppression, kidney damage, and reproductive issues,” Consumer Reports stated in last month’s study.
Trader Joe’s did not publicly respond to the allegations or lawsuit.