8 US Chocolate Brands You Must Avoid

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aUso2OtFeo

8 US Chocolate Brands You Must Avoid

[BobfromWB]

Bad for you brands:

1. Hershey
2. Nestle
3. Mars
4. Russell Stover
5. Palmer
6. Witman's Sampler
7. Ghiradelli
8. Hershey's Special Dark

Buy European chocolate brands ... European markets are generally safer and higher quality:
Tony's Chunoli
Alter Eco
Equal Exchange
Divine chocolate

If you must buy American mass market chocolate, Dove and Lint have lower contamination levels than Hershey's or Nestle according to testing. They are not perfect, but are better options than the worst offenders.

Read ingredient lists carefully. Avoid products with artificial colors, artificial flavors, and partially hydrogenated oils. Choose chocolate where cocoa and cocoa butter are the primary ingredients rather than sugar and vegetable oils.

Hershey's contains lead and cadmium beyond safe levels. Nestle has the worst child labor record. Mars products are full of artificial dyes and additives. Russell Stover uses petroleum derived vanilla and minimal cocoa. Palmer is not legally chocolate at all. Whitman's sells ancient compound chocolate. Ghirardelli charges premium prices for mid-grade quality. Hershey's special dark has the highest contamination.

[Free Vulcan]

Equal Exchange ain't cheap but high quality.

[DB]

Trader Joe's 72% Cacao Belgium Dark Chocolate is my favorite. Low sugar.

[berdie]

I'm just glad that Queen Anne Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries aren't on the list!

An aside, one year I made chocolate cherries one year. They were delish but such a royal pain the rear...I'm sure it was a once in a lifetime thing.

[libertybele]

Well, I love chocolate but had to give it up for health reasons.  I do buy chocolates for Mr. Bele; mostly Dove and Lindt dark chocolates.

[mystery-ak]

My favs are Ghiradelli, Russell Stover and Lindt...but in a chocolate emergency, Hersheys...

[mountaineer]

I live outside a very small town. The chocolate options are few. 

[MeganC]

I'm just glad that Queen Anne Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries aren't on the list!

An aside, one year I made chocolate cherries one year. They were delish but such a royal pain the rear...I'm sure it was a once in a lifetime thing.

Here's a handy cheat for chocolate covered cherries:

Use Maraschino cocktail cherries.

Pour off the syrup, rinse them in water (or vodka), and then let dry.

Melt 1 pound of Trader Joe's Belgian chocolate and dip the cherries. Set them on parchment or a non-stick cookie sheet to cool.

Enjoy. 

[BobfromWB]

Here's a handy cheat for chocolate covered cherries:

Use Maraschino cocktail cherries.

Pour off the syrup, rinse them in water (or vodka), and then let dry.

Melt 1 pound of Trader Joe's Belgian chocolate and dip the cherries. Set them on parchment or a non-stick cookie sheet to cool.

Enjoy. 

Trader Joe's Belgian chocolate
The chocolate has been found to contain lead and cadmium, heavy metals naturally present in cocoa due to soil absorption. Consumer Reports tested 28 dark chocolate bars and found that Trader Joe’s 72% and 85% cacao bars had elevated levels of these metals. Long-term exposure to lead and cadmium can affect the brain, kidneys, and overall health, especially with frequent consumption.

Despite this, the risk is low for occasional consumers, as the danger comes from daily, long-term intake. The FDA and health experts agree that moderation is key. For those concerned, consider choosing dark chocolate bars with lower heavy metal levels, such as those from Taza, Valrhona, or Ghirardelli, as identified by Consumer Reports.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Chocolate is chemicals... everything is chemicals.

[mystery-ak]

Here's a handy cheat for chocolate covered cherries:

Use Maraschino cocktail cherries.

Pour off the syrup, rinse them in water (or vodka), and then let dry.

Melt 1 pound of Trader Joe's Belgian chocolate and dip the cherries. Set them on parchment or a non-stick cookie sheet to cool.

Enjoy. 

I do that too but with Ghiradelli dipping chocolate....One thing I did try last year is that I soaked the cherries in bourbon for several weeks and then dipped them in chocolate...

[MeganC]

I do that too but with Ghiradelli dipping chocolate....One thing I did try last year is that I soaked the cherries in bourbon for several weeks and then dipped them in chocolate...

And of course you did what with the bourbon? 

[mountaineer]

When I worked at a restaurant, we purchased 5 kilogram slabs of Callebaut, a Belgian chocolate, mostly using it for chocolate mousse. Pretty darn good. I have no idea how "safe" it was, though.

Here's another article on the heavy metal aspect of chocolates. The best, according to this source, are 1) Mast Organic Dark Chocolate (80% cacao), available at Whole Foods, Wegmans, and other retailers; 2) Taza Organic Deliciously Dark Chocolate (70%), which can be found at Whole Foods, The Fresh Market and other specialty stores; 3) Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate (86%), which should be widely available; 4) Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight (72%), highest in cadmium on this list, but available just about everywhere; and 5) Valrhona Abinao Dark Chocolate (85%), highest in lead but lower in cadmium than the others, it may be found in fancy supermarkets and specialty shops.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aUso2OtFeo

8 US Chocolate Brands You Must Avoid

This kind of idiocy used to be relegated to liberals only, now conservatives are belching up this nonsense.

Chocolate is all chemicals. All matter is chemicals.