Berlin.
Öko-Test tested cocoa powder and came to a surprising result: well-known manufacturers in particular did poorly.
Cocoa belongs on the breakfast table for many people and is not only very popular with children. But not all Cocoa-Products are equally good. The consumer magazine “Eco-Test” took a closer look at different types of cocoa powder and checked their quality. The results are sobering.
Cocoa varieties: Too much sugar, too unhealthy
“Öko-Test” examined 16 products for ingredients and manufacturer transparency, including seven organic products. Products were explicitly selected whose design is aimed at children. “Öko-Test” therefore criticizes the high sugar content in many of the varieties: ten of the powders tested contain more than 80 percent sugar. Some even exceed the recommended daily amount of sugar for children with just one serving.
The WHO recommends that children aged 4 to 6 years should consume no more than 35 grams of sugar per day. For children between the ages of 7 and 10, this value is increased to 42 grams of sugar per day – that’s 14 sugar cubes after all.
Cocoa in the test: These brands are rated “inadequate”.
Not only are the drinks very sweet, some contain them too pollutants: The popular Nestlé cocoa drink “Nesquik” fails the test. Because of mineral oils and misleading advertising about the apparently sustainable cocoa cultivation, “Öko-Test” gives the product a grade “Insufficient”.
“Nesquik” shares last place with the organic product “Caribo Organic Drink Cocoa” from Mount Hagen. “Öko-Test” writes about the product: “Too sweet, too many harmful substances, too little transparency”. Also read: Aldi, Lidl & Co.: Strawberries perform poorly in tests
Just as well known as badly rated: The Cocoa Brands “Kaba”. The manufacturer Carambar receives the rating “Poor” criticizing the high sugar content and the fact that the manufacturer has completely ignored attempts to contact “Öko-Test” regarding questions about the supply chain.
At a pollutant, which was found in seven cocoa powders, is about so-called saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH). MOSH are of concern because they can accumulate in human adipose tissue and the liver. The fabrics were tested in these Cocoa powder proven:
- “Nesquik” by Nestlé
- “Caribo Organic Drink Cocoa” by Mount Hagen
- “Cocoba breakfast cocoa with honey” by Gepa
- “Goody Cao” by Lidl
- “Rapunzel Tiger Quick Drinking Cocoa” by Rapunzel
- “Bio Central Biokids Cocoa Drink” from Bio Central
- “K-Bio drinking chocolate” from Kaufland
The heavy metal cadmium, which was contained in five powders, can accumulate in the liver and kidneys and damage the organs over a long period of time. It was in these products verifiable:
- “Naturata Cocoa Drink” by Naturata
- “Rapunzel Tiger Quick Drinking Cocoa” by Rapunzel
- “Cocoba breakfast cocoa with honey” by Gepa
- “Vivani Cavi Quick” by Eco Finia
- “Caribo Organic Drink Cocoa” by Mount Hagen
Cocoa: Which products performed well?
The best overall grade is only “satisfactory”. Of the 16 products tested, only five received cocoa manufacturer this note: The “Bio Central Biokids cocoa drink” from the manufacturer Bio-Zentrale, the “K-Bio drinking chocolate” from Kaufland, the “Naturata cocoa drink” from Naturata, the “Ja! cocoa drink” from Rewe and the product “Penny Cho Quick” by Penny. However, the testers do not want to give a direct recommendation, since the sugar content in all products is very high. It is recommended to limit the consumption of cocoa to weekends. (emi)
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