WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2023) Specialty retail grocer Trader Joe's was sued in the Eastern District of New York by a consumer who accused the company of endangering shoppers by selling bars of dark chocolate that contain harmful levels of lead and cadmium, Reuters reported citing court documents.
"High levels of lead and cadmium in food products is material to reasonable consumers because these chemicals pose serious health risks, even in small dosages," plaintiff Thomas Ferrante said in the lawsuit as quoted in the report on Wednesday.
The suit follows findings by Consumer Reports that said 23 of the 28 dark chocolate bars it tested contained potentially harmful levels of lead, cadmium, or both heavy metals for people who eat more than one ounce of chocolate a day, the report added.
Consumer Reports found Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao high in lead, and Trader Joe's The Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate 85% Cacao high in lead and cadmium.
Ferrante said he read both products' labels before purchasing them, and would not have done so or would have paid less had he known their contents, the report said.
The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages, including at least $500 per transaction under New York law, according to the report.
