Submitted by GhostlyRuse t3_11zk1fe in nottheonion
Comments
wrongseeds t1_jdcrl9j wrote
Hershey’s sucks. Years ago they petitioned congress to allow them to reduce the amount cocoa butter allowed in chocolate. That’s when their candy started tasting like wax. And I stopped eating it.
tugrumpler t1_jdcyylz wrote
I recall them petitioning to allow the name Chocolate on stuff because it tasted like chocolate even though it didn’t contain any chocolate. They lost iirc. Hersheys lost in my estimation and food regulation won.
RockyMountainHigh- t1_jdcv9u5 wrote
You must have had the "good" bar.
grannybignippIe t1_jdivm21 wrote
At least I expect to get shit out of a “good” bar
RockyMountainHigh- t1_jdiw5wp wrote
Mr. Goodbar would like to agree.
Wolfalisk318 t1_jdjfo00 wrote
Agreed, Hershey's is bad but their Special Dark bar has no business being as good as it is.
[deleted] t1_jdfa875 wrote
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notapoliticalalt t1_jdilzyp wrote
That being said, it’s basically the only thing that gets used for s’mores.
Xbalanque_ t1_jddbzpg wrote
They need to make sure removing the heavy metals wont destabilize the wax that makes up %40 of the "chocolate" bar.
Pearse_Borty t1_jdeg6m4 wrote
And yet they still cant eliminate that god awful vomit-tasting chemical
sprint6864 t1_jddde0v wrote
The problem isn't just aimed at consumers eating the food, but the workers exposed to the chemicals. Anyone arguing this is a bad thing is only upset because they snack on lead paint chips
sndtrb89 t1_jdcz5fd wrote
its probably being uptaken by the soil of their humanitarian nightmare plantations
Remarkable-Walrus-27 t1_jdf21aj wrote
Cool! Do slave labor next!
bishop3200 t1_jdeui4s wrote
I always loved their cadmiumbury cream eggs.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdcmyw2 wrote
Amount / concentration / dose matters.
Always.
We are, after all, not Californians.
GhostlyRuse OP t1_jdcnbfa wrote
Ok but the preferable concentration of lead in my chocolate is 0.
nool_ t1_jdfisad wrote
Literally impossible
michal_hanu_la t1_jdcne3o wrote
Under some threshold it makes no difference to your life or to your total exposure to lead.
In practice there is no such thing as 0.
With Hersheys I would be much more worried about your life being made worse by eating bad chocolate.
Amazingawesomator t1_jdcut8j wrote
The threshold that is safe for human consumption when it comes to lead is zero. Yes, there is a threshold - it is 0.
No amount of lead is safe for human consumption. The amount of lead the FDA allows in food is to allow companies to sell you lead and make money, not because it is healthy.
SomebodyInNevada t1_jdenbjw wrote
If they actually mandated zero then there would be no food for sale. Zero is unattainable.
The basic problem is that it's in the environment, the plants pick it up as they grow. Depending on the product it might be possible to remove some of it, it will never be possible to remove all of it.
gerkletoss t1_jdeuo9m wrote
>The threshold that is safe for human consumption when it comes to lead is zero.
Source? And definition of safe?
I'm not saying that the level of Hershey's chocolate is unacceptable, because I don't know, but clearly absolute zero is not possible.
Amazingawesomator t1_jdeymvc wrote
WHO... I linked it in a different subthread here
gerkletoss t1_jdez8dz wrote
>There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects.
Do you see how that's a difference sentence from what you said?
Do you see how how every country on earth allows a small but non-zero amount of lead in good because zero is impossible?
Grostleton t1_jdiwyqr wrote
it's a different sentence with identical meaning, reading comprehension much?
supersecretaqua t1_jdof2a7 wrote
Unless you're making the very silly statement that because no one can do it, that it somehow changes the line of what is actually safe.. Then the same thing has been said and you're not actually arguing like you think you are.
Now, if you are saying that... Then you're having a different conversation and are either intellectually dishonest and trolling or just lacking in reading comprehension
Either way, the only actually objective safe value for consumption with lead is 0. Anything above that has risks involved period. We can't achieve 0 though, so there is nothing to do but determine a threshold that will be the most acceptable and that is determined by regulations. Since it's established we CAN'T, there is no other option. But there is still risks and is harmful regardless of regulation. Tangible evidence that any amount is still harmful and every decimal point above 0 that it is, the higher violence is in a community over decades. So...
If you're still struggling don't bother responding, I can't help you if that was too far above your head lol
gerkletoss t1_jdofmds wrote
Safety is relative. There is no line. There's also no lead-free. That's why "no safe amount" is a useless statement.
That's why limits get established. They're actually useful.
>If you're still struggling don't bother responding, I can't help you if that was too far above your head lol
Irony thick enough to swim in
supersecretaqua t1_jdohonr wrote
Lmao I love when idiots try and say you have to stop talking about something if they don't like it
Like an actual toddler screeching about vegetables
Good luck little dented skull
nool_ t1_jdfix84 wrote
You might not want to breath then
michal_hanu_la t1_jdcwi73 wrote
> The threshold that is safe for human consumption when it comes to lead is zero. Yes, there is a threshold - it is 0.
That sound wrong, please do elaborate. What is your definition of safe? Do you have any source for the safe level, matching your definition?
Notice I am not saying lead is healthy, I am saying there is some level below which it is not unhealthy enough to warrant regulation.
And if you consider chocolate, what is the difference it makes to your total amount of lead?
Amazingawesomator t1_jdcylfv wrote
WHO
> There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health
jmlinden7 t1_jddsdx5 wrote
They can't prove that a low dose is safe. That's not the same as saying that a low dose is proven to be dangerous.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdd354r wrote
And has anyone tested exposure at the levels of what's in the chocolate?
How does it compare to the impact from non-chocolate?
Edit: TODO(me): Get some numbers
BirdsbirdsBURDS t1_jdd95nt wrote
Heavy metal poisoning is a thing, FYI. It’s why mercury concentrations in fish are a problem in the east. Lead is no exception. It builds up in your system because your body can’t eliminate it. “Some lead exposure” is fine, kind of like getting stabbed once or twice is ok, except the cumulation limit is lifetime, rather than over a few minutes.
Bedbouncer t1_jdevjzt wrote
>It builds up in your system because your body can’t eliminate it.
This is simply not true. A quick Google search shows that.
GhostlyRuse OP t1_jdcnhaa wrote
That's not a great comfort.
sprint6864 t1_jddd8mr wrote
I literally made a comment in the thread about Skittles how idiots like this argue that it's their right to be poisoned, and we shouldn't care about removing harmful chemicals where we can
Shizzar_ t1_jdfcbp9 wrote
You think that bad I was a kid still while leaded gas was a thing. How much damage did my generation suffer?
Grostleton t1_jdixe09 wrote
So what? Your generation had it worse so ours shouldn't strive for improvement over what we currently have? True boomer logic right there...
michal_hanu_la t1_jdcnmyv wrote
Why?
gtacleveland t1_jdctlc7 wrote
Bruh that's life. There is never zero probability of anything. Therecis always a non-zero probability of contamination of any element.
sprint6864 t1_jddd3jt wrote
Bruh, it's literally a controllable variable. You can force companies to remove harmful chemicals from their products, almost every other nation in the world has
jmgloss t1_jdfbs0m wrote
Did you know that there are rat droppings in your food? You'd want 0% of that, if asked. Seems like an easy thing to just say: "no rat droppings in food, please." But there are still rat droppings in food. Why is that?
sprint6864 t1_jdfct55 wrote
Bruh, just eat lead paint and let the rest of civilization actually progress
[deleted] t1_jdfd18v wrote
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gtacleveland t1_jddezmg wrote
You can mandate what a specific amount, but you cannot ensure that something is 100% free of a certain chemical or defect or contamination. You can only mitigate the problem to an accepted level, whether that is set by a customer or mandated by the government. I would know, I'm an engineer who deals with quality control in a factory every damn day.
manleybones t1_jddia2s wrote
Who cares what you do, you are still wrong about removing lead.
gtacleveland t1_jddii8x wrote
How am I wrong then? Go ahead ill wait. Either you do not understand what I am talking about or you dont understand statistics.
manleybones t1_jddipb6 wrote
There shouldn't be lead, or plutonium in chocolate. If it can be 100% free of plutonium, it can be 100% free of lead. That's a good thought experiment for your feeble mind.
gtacleveland t1_jddk1iu wrote
No shit Sherlock, of course there shouldn't be any. But it is not physically or statistically possible to be 100% free of it. What do you not understand about this? There is no absolutes. Hell the human body naturally has lead and plutonium and other heavy metals in it. The difference is that there is an acceptable amount that won't harm you.
manleybones t1_jddl0p5 wrote
There is no acceptable level of lead, stop playing interference for the shitty job you do for a shitty employer.
gtacleveland t1_jddm7hz wrote
I understand that you moron. I'm saying it is not physically possible for any product to have 0% lead content, ie, be 100% lead free.
You yourself are not lead free. You were born with lead in your body. You will die with it in your body, and hopefully it never reaches a concentration that does serious harm to your body.
I don't understand what you don't get.
sprint6864 t1_jddfyns wrote
Go enjoy paint chips and leave the rest of society alone. We prefer stopping brain damage, not saying it's something we have no chance to avoid
gtacleveland t1_jddh0ev wrote
Are you stupid or do you not understand statistics? You can mandate a company guarantee their products be 99% free of contamination, or 99.9% free, or even as high 99.99999% free. But you can never guarantee something be 100% free of contamination. There is always risk. The best you can do is mandate a product be within safe limits. In the real world you can get functionally close to 0% or 100% but you can never achieve them.
[deleted] t1_jde5o5j wrote
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idratherbeintamriel t1_jdem2yn wrote
The solution is clearly to stop eating hersheys. I don’t think Lindt has this issue
michal_hanu_la t1_jdep1np wrote
Honestly, I prefer Läderach, even though Lindt is just over the hill.
But https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate-a8480295550/ (and I don't know how trustworthy a source that is) claims it has some, too.
spartaxwarrior t1_jdhijc3 wrote
Damn that's bleak
KaisarDragon t1_jdd12xu wrote
If you wanted 100% pure anything, without any impurities you think you want 0% of, you'd have to stop eating. Hell, you'd need to stop breathing.
gtacleveland t1_jddkjt0 wrote
Dont bother, these morons dont understand statistics.
manleybones t1_jddhvqc wrote
The acceptable dose of lead is none. Zero. Zilch. There is no acceptable dose of lead.
michal_hanu_la t1_jde168m wrote
Yes, people keep saying that, but you have some distribution of lead levels across population and getting from 10th to 12th percentile is probably fine.
Clearly lots of people eat chocolate. Do you observe any ill effects?
gerkletoss t1_jdeuay8 wrote
Thank you for your sacrifice in making this comment
broad5ide t1_jdet66a wrote
People drank from disgusting water supplies back in the middle ages without consequences all the time. That doesn't mean that there weren't consequences to inadequate water supply maintenance.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdexgaz wrote
Without consequences? We know the consequences of drinking suspicious water (not necessarily disgusting).
broad5ide t1_jdey9v1 wrote
We also know the consequences of eating lead. What's your point?
michal_hanu_la t1_jdeykzm wrote
Do we know the consequences of eating lead in the amounts contained in realistic doses of chocolate? Say you eat 100g of dark chocolate a day, what should you expect?
broad5ide t1_jdez4dq wrote
"realistic" is a relative term. The CDC says there is no known safe level of lead. That's how we should be operating until it's proven otherwise.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdeznwp wrote
That is, however, impossible. Some things contain lead. Including cocoa. Even if you stop eating chocolate, you have other sources of lead.
So the question becomes which of those will you focus on? I suggest those that, when eliminated, would make a substantial difference to your total exposure.
Is chocolate one of those? I doubt it.
Also, "realistic", when applied to amounts of chocolate one eats, is not that relative.
broad5ide t1_jdf0nv0 wrote
"worry not fellow citizens, I drink from the cistern everyday and look at me! Healthy as an ox."
michal_hanu_la t1_jdf0xsn wrote
Not sure what you're quoting, sounds like The Simpsons, but if most of the population drinks from the cistern every day and we do not notice it causing any trouble, maybe the cistern is mostly fine?
And this is the kind of trouble that we seem to be looking for?
broad5ide t1_jdf2cke wrote
It's alright, I didn't think you'd get it
michal_hanu_la t1_jdf2zgf wrote
Good, but maybe think about the point about observable effects of something very common. In general.
broad5ide t1_jdf3nth wrote
Sure, not like anything commonly accepted to be fine was ever proven extremely detrimental to your health in the past. I'll definitely consider that.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdf4isr wrote
What was considered perfectly fine after testing it on most of the population, when the potential effects are of the kind that we watch for?
broad5ide t1_jdf56xt wrote
Buddy, lead doesn't fit that description.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdf62j0 wrote
I'm not your buddy and you keep forgetting the dose.
Chocolate fits that description, even though we know it contains very small amounts of lead. Mostly any chocolate, the darker, the more.
You can stop eating chocolate, of course, but it does not seem to cause any trouble that we would actually know of.
broad5ide t1_jdf6csa wrote
Eat as much lead as you want man, I won't stop you
michal_hanu_la t1_jdf8u0s wrote
As much chocolate, you mean.
Notice I am not saying you should g drinking 100LL. I am saying that lead from chocolate almost definitely won't be what kills you, or even produces any noticeable effects.
I am also saying that learning to distinguish between those two things is important and you should consider it.
(Also, the "help and support" silliness gets old very fast. Don't do that.)
broad5ide t1_jdf9aol wrote
Chocolate, lead. Seems like you're ok with either. Have as much as you want man.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdf9xor wrote
Well, if you do not see the difference, maybe I should worry about you.
But I'll just hope you will get it some day. Or maybe you should just stop eating chocolate.
broad5ide t1_jdfagi8 wrote
Don't worry about me my dude. Just take care of yourself. Have a good one.
BeneficialElephant5 t1_jdgkcd1 wrote
This applies to most things. It doesn't apply to heavy metals because they accumulate over your entire life.
michal_hanu_la t1_jdgqsr1 wrote
I get that logic, but there is a dose at which, over a lifetime, they do not accumulate to a dangerous level.
There is also a dose which, when added or removed, does not make a difference compared to all the other sources.
Edit: One should also take into account that most people naturally stop eating chocolate before the age of 120. Now, question is, what is such a dose and how often do we see people getting dangerous cumulative amounts of heavy metals from chocolate?
Ash-SeedMustDie t1_jddox6b wrote
"While it is not possible to prevent or remove lead entirely from foods, the levels in food can be reduced. By law, food manufacturers have a responsibility to implement controls as needed to significantly minimize or prevent exposure to chemical hazards—including lead."
This is why nearly everything in California has the Prop 65 warning on it. People are correct that having no lead would be preferable but its literally not possible currently.
nool_ t1_jdfiqpv wrote
Leads not the reason for most 65 warnings it's cause of what ever its made if being or being suspected of being a Carthage
Dubya_t t1_jdf0b4x wrote
The Chief Financial Officer is clearly the individual who should be making this call.
GlassWasteland t1_jdf8527 wrote
WTF? When did Hershey's outsource their "chocolate" to China?
Puzzleheaded_Pie_888 t1_jdfd7gh wrote
What about the slave labor?
Strong-Amphibian-143 t1_jddi75s wrote
Cadmium, Cadburry. Coincidence?
Icy_Associate8487 t1_jdekfxi wrote
I ain't eating this s*** until all metals are gone, and they can prove completely with thorough testing that the machines have been properly cleaned and don't add metals.
CobaltSpellsword t1_jdewa0x wrote
But how else will I be able to enjoy my Cadmium Creme Eggs this Easter??? /s
VetteBuilder t1_jdf3aen wrote
Don Felder has entered the chat
[deleted] t1_jdfdtuo wrote
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Dyne313 t1_jdfknp9 wrote
Who the fuck eats Hershey?
DumberBeatle t1_jdghpza wrote
I'm glad I don't eat chocolate!
TrackRelevant t1_jdgj61r wrote
Hershey evaluation then showed that they can eliminate it but that they don't want to. Because money and who do you think you are, I am
ToxicAdamm t1_jdhh55q wrote
The title is a bit misleading because we are only talking about two very niche Hershey products. Special Dark and 85 percent cocao bars. Some people ITT seem to make the leap that it's the iconic milk chocolate bar.
Which makes sense, since that (the darkest varieties) is a less processed chocolate. Also, it being done in Africa, a place where leaded gas is still being used (until recently), means that it was likely absorbing it through the air as they dried out the beans.
ICLazeru t1_jdf5tkq wrote
Hell...so not only are they probably the worst chocolate on the market, it's straight up poison too?
ausdoug t1_jdcq81h wrote
I'd rather eat a block of cadmium than Hershey's