Some of you have been asking about our cocoa, how it is sourced and what testing takes place. They're fair questions, so here's what we can share.
Our cocoa and quality standards
Our ingredient suppliers carry out documented quality and food-safety checks as part of their assurance programmes, including physical, chemical and microbiological testing and ingredient traceability. We're committed to sharing relevant supporting evidence rather than asking customers simply to take our word for it.
What about cadmium and lead?
Cocoa is an agricultural product, and elements such as cadmium and lead can occur in the environment. This makes testing and realistic interpretation of results important.
What are the legal cadmium limits?
Great Britain's applicable legislation and EU rules set maximum cadmium concentrations for different categories of chocolate. To keep these easy to read on mobile, we've listed them below rather than using a wide table.
- Milk chocolate with less than 30% total dry cocoa solids: 0.10 mg/kg.
- Milk chocolate with at least 30% total dry cocoa solids: 0.30 mg/kg.
- Chocolate with at least 50% total dry cocoa solids: 0.80 mg/kg.
These are regulatory maximum concentrations, not targets or guarantees of zero risk. The exact category for Proper Milk depends on the total dry cocoa solids in the finished formulation.
Primary sources: Great Britain legislation on contaminant limits and EU Regulation 2023/915.
From our cocoa supplier, independently tested by Eurofins.
What does the science say?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established a tolerable weekly intake for cadmium of 2.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. This is about total dietary exposure, not a per-bar allowance. Read the 2009 EFSA cadmium opinion and 2011 reassessment.
Lead is different. EFSA concluded that there was no established threshold below which its critical adverse effects could confidently be ruled out. We therefore won't describe any concentration of lead as universally safe. Read the 2010 EFSA lead assessment.
Important: These published figures are independent scientific and regulatory references, not laboratory results for Proper Milk. We will share verified supplier reports, dates and testing frequency when cleared for publication.
Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance
Responsible cocoa sourcing matters to us. Our supply chain includes suppliers offering Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance cocoa programmes. We are checking which certificates apply to the specific ingredients used in Proper Milk; a supplier's programme does not automatically certify the finished bar.
Organic cocoa butter, real chocolate
Proper Milk uses real cocoa butter rather than palm oil. Our cocoa butter is sourced as organic, and we'll add relevant supplier documentation once verified. An organic-sourced ingredient doesn't automatically make the whole bar certified organic.
Evidence, not just promises
Proper Milk. Made with care.
We're an independent British chocolate business making the kind of chocolate we want to eat ourselves. Delicious flavour and clear answers should go together.
