Business Bites: Dark chocolate found to contain cadmium, lead

Not chocolate. Anything but chocolate!

Researchers have found elevated levels of heavy metals in organic and regular dark chocolate and cocoa products, although which contains more might surprise you. Also in food safety news, Australian researchers have discovered that edible insects may contain the same allergens as shellfish, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is doing its best to make poultry safer from salmonella. All that and more in this week’s Business Bites.

Organic chocolate goes heavy metal

A recent study in Frontiers in Nutrition has raised concerns about high levels of the neurotoxic metals lead and cadmium in dark chocolate and cocoa products. Organic versions, despite being grown on less contaminated land, showed some of the highest levels of these metals, which can cause health problems in vulnerable populations.

Although found naturally in the planet’s crust, heavy metals can end up in crops due to soil contamination from fertilizers and industrial pollution. The study tested dark chocolate and found that a significant percentage of products exceeded safe metal consumption levels — but also noted that moderate consumption, which is how most people not named Augustus Gloop eat chocolate, poses minimal risk to healthy adults.

“The only precaution a chocolate maker can take is to enhance the traceability of its sources and make sure that its cacao suppliers are taking action to deal with the problem at origin,” Angela Anandappa, Ph.D., founder and CEO at Alliance for Advanced Sanitation, said. “The farm and soil alone are only one contributing factor. It is likely that other factors in producing the chocolate, [such as] transportation, outdoor exposure time and the location of the cacao beans, could be a factor. There are many points in the supply chain.”

Edible insects may trigger shellfish allergies, researchers find

Researchers at James Cook University in Australia are raising alarms that insect-based foods, such as those derived from crickets and flies, could trigger allergic reactions similar to shellfish, which is a fun reminder both that edible bugs are a thing, and that all those delicious crustaceans roaming our oceans are closely related to them. Wonderful.

More manufacturers are adopting insect proteins to meet food and feed needs worldwide — look at Singapore, which recently approved 16 insect species for consumption, citing their nutritional and sustainability benefits. These insects included mealworms, locusts, moth larvae and even a species of honeybee.

These insects may contain allergens like tropomyosin, but here’s the catch: Commercial crustacean allergen test kits are currently ineffective at detecting these insect-derived allergens, which underscores the need for improved testing and labeling to safeguard consumers, especially as climate change and food scarcity encourage more of us to decide that maybe eating bugs doesn’t sound so bad.

New USDA salmonella rule could make poultry safer

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a branch of USDA responsible for ensuring meat, eggs and poultry are safe to eat, has proposed a new rule to curb salmonella contamination in raw poultry products, which causes over a million infections in the U.S. each year. The proposal sets enforceable standards, including a threshold of 10 colony-forming units per gram of raw chicken or turkey and mandatory microbial monitoring programs, to prevent salmonella from entering the market. This new framework will be supported by extensive data collection, stakeholder feedback and scientific assessment as part of broader efforts to enhance food safety. Public comments are welcome for 60 days after the rule’s publication in the Federal Register.

National Black Business Month spotlights U.S.-based Black-owned brands

Entrepreneurship is a driving force in the Black community, despite common challenges such as a lack of access to the capital needed to start up and expand. That’s why celebrating August as National Black Business Month is so important.

Let’s take a look at one of the Black-owned beverage brands shaking up the industry today: Oktane Energy. Owned by Toni Covington and ISupreme Watkins, this energy drink maker is using monk fruit to sweeten up its beverages without spiking blood sugar.

“After looking at the market and speaking with people, we realized there wasn’t a drink geared toward the everyday person,” Covington said. “Some were geared toward hardcore lifters, others sold sex, and others were focused on extreme sports. A segment of the population was left out.”

Boar's Head expands meat and poultry listeria recall

Let's get back to everyone's favorite topic: deadly food safety hazards. Deli meat provider Boar’s Head just recalled, then expanded its recall, of various “meats sliced at delis” due to possible listeria contamination. This includes ready-to-eat liverwurst, but luckily, no one was ready to eat that stuff anyway.

The expanded recall includes more than 70 products and 7 million additional pounds of meat and poultry products, compared to the original recall’s 200,000 pounds. That’s a lot of deli meat. And, presumably, a lot of listeria.

According to Food Dive, several grocery chains are temporarily shutting down their delis to reduce the risk of cross contamination while USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigate the outbreak, so be aware of that development if you’re looking to get your products behind the deli counter.