Chocolate
Dark chocolate with a short ingredient list and published lead and cadmium results.
How we rank chocolate
- Ingredients 25%
- Lead & cadmium 35%
- Sourcing 15%
- Trust 10%
- Value 15%
Why, and what each one means
Metals weigh most. Cacao takes up cadmium from soil and picks up lead as it dries, and Consumer Reports found both in all 28 dark bars it tested, with 23 over a California limit at one ounce (Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab)). We rank first on lab results, then a short list, more cacao and less sugar, traceable cacao, trust and price. A maker’s own lot results count for less (our guide).
- Ingredients 25%
- Cacao, a named sweetener and perhaps cocoa butter or vanilla, and nothing else. Emulsifiers, “natural flavors”, milk powder and sugar alcohols cost points; more cacao and less sugar per serving score higher.
- Lead & cadmium 35%
- Lead and cadmium measured in the bar by a lab the maker does not pay (a consumer group, university or regulator) and low against California’s daily limits. The maker’s own published lot results count for less; nothing published counts for little.
- Sourcing 15%
- The cacao’s origin named, organic certified, and how farmers are paid stated (fair trade, direct trade or a named cooperative).
- Trust 10%
- Highest when the maker names everything, answers questions, and has no recalls, warning letters, Prop 65 notices or lawsuits over safety or labeling. Points come off for unresolved problems and for paid promoters it does not disclose.
- Value 15%
- Price per ounce against the other bars here that pass.
Each product scores every one from 1 to 5, and its rating is the weighted average. We list only products rated 3 or above that break none of our rules.
We avoid
- A Prop 65 notice or warning for lead or cadmium that the maker has not answered with newer results, or published results that contradict the marketing.
- Artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, and “keto” bars padded with sugar alcohols.
- Cocoa “processed with alkali” (Dutch process), which strips out much of the flavanols.
- Health claims beyond the research: chocolate is still a treat.
Read the research
Know one that fits? Suggest a product
5 products · best rated first
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MastMast Organic Dark Chocolate 80% Cacao, 2.5 oz bar
Three organic ingredients: cacao, cane sugar and vanilla bean. Consumer Reports found it among the five lowest of 28 dark bars in both lead and cadmium, at 14 and 40 percent of California’s limits. The test dates from 2022 (two lots). USDA certified organic, vegan, kosher and gluten free, per the maker -
Taza ChocolateTaza Chocolate Deliciously Dark 70% Stone Ground Organic Dark Chocolate Bar, 2.5 oz
Organic cacao, cane sugar and cocoa butter, stone ground. Consumer Reports found it low in both metals in 2022 (33 and 74 percent of the limits), but Taza has had Prop 65 notices on other products. 11 g added sugar per half bar. USDA Organic, Direct Trade Certified (Taza’s own program), Non-GMO, certified gluten free, kosher pareve, per the maker -
Spinnaker ChocolateSpinnaker Chocolate 70% Guatemala Dark Chocolate Bar, 57 g
Organic cacao from one Guatemalan farm and organic cane sugar. Its one posted lot (July 2026) had 0.08 mg/kg of cadmium and no detectable lead, about 55 percent of California’s cadmium limit per ounce. Maker-paid. Vegan, dairy free, nut free, gluten free and soy free, per the maker. The facility is not certified organic or Fair Trade; the farm’s cacao is certified organic, per the maker. -
Spinnaker ChocolateSpinnaker Chocolate 70% Tanzania Dark Chocolate Bar, 57 g
Organic cacao and organic cane sugar, nothing else. Spinnaker posts lab reports: three Tanzania lots had cadmium of 0.06 to 0.09 mg/kg and no detectable lead, 41 to 61 percent of California’s cadmium limit per ounce. Maker-paid. Vegan, dairy free, nut free, gluten free and soy free, per the maker. The facility is not certified organic or Fair Trade; Spinnaker says it buys direct and pays premiums. -
The Conscious BarThe Conscious Bar Smooth Dark Chocolate, 50 g bar
Three organic ingredients and no added sugar, from a founder who wanted chocolate sweetened with dates. But we found no lead or cadmium result for any bar, and it costs about $5.70 an ounce. Listed at our editor’s request. Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth, printed on the wrapper (we did not look up the certificate) · Kosher, vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, per the maker