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Ghirardelli GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares  72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate  12.7 oz Bag

GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag

8Avoid

Contaminants · 18

1 at/over limit

Measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)86.5 ppbof 6 ppb
Over the limit — 14×US EPA drinking-water MCL, 40 CFR 141.61(c) — 0.006 mg/L. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published DEHP number; the EU food-contact limit is looser (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442: SML 0.6 mg/kg, plus the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit with DBP/BBP/DIBP).
Dimethylphthalate4.75 ppbof 10 ppb
48% of the limitDMP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Dibutyl Phthalate17 ppbof 120 ppb
14% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DBP SML 0.12 mg/kg (cut from 0.3). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (DBP x5).
Di (2-ethylhexyl) Terephthalate0.111 ppmof 60 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHT (FCM 798) SML 60 mg/kg, group restriction with DINCH. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Diethylhexyl Adipate0.011 ppmof 18 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHA (FCM 207) SML 18 mg/kg.
Benzylbutyl PhthalateNDof 6 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — BBP SML 6 mg/kg (cut from 30). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (BBP x0.1 = 6 mg/kg alone).
Bisphenol a (BPA)NDof 1 ppb
Not detectedEU Reg. (EU) 2024/3190 — BPA banned in food-contact materials from 20 Jan 2025 (old 0.05 mg/kg SML repealed); the residual exemptions require NO detectable migration at a 1 ug/kg detection limit. 1 ppb is therefore the tightest published number.
BpfNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedNot on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), and Reg. 2024/3190 restricts hazardous bisphenols; no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
BPS (Bisphenol s)NDof 50 ppb
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — BPS (4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol) SML 0.05 mg/kg; BfR applies the same 0.05 mg/kg.
Di-n-octyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDNOP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Dicyclohexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDCHP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
DiethylphthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDEP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Dihexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDNHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate, EU Repr. 1B) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Diisobutyl PhthalateNDof 150 ppb
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 2023/1442 group restriction — DBP x5 + DIBP x4 + BBP x0.1 + DEHP <= 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalents, so DIBP alone may not exceed 0.15 mg/kg. DIBP is not itself an authorised substance.
Diisodecyl AdipateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDIDA (diisodecyl adipate) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Diisodecyl PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.
Diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic AcidNDof 60 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DINCH (FCM 775) group restriction with DEHT, 60 mg/kg. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Diisononyl ortho PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.

Contaminants · 5

1 at/over limit
Includes lab tests of other products in its family
Intense Dark 72% Cacao (plain squares/bars)
Worst result per contaminant across the family

In the family’s tests: measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)145 ppbof 6 ppb
Over the limit — 24×US EPA drinking-water MCL, 40 CFR 141.61(c) — 0.006 mg/L. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published DEHP number; the EU food-contact limit is looser (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442: SML 0.6 mg/kg, plus the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit with DBP/BBP/DIBP).
Measured in: Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz
Dimethylphthalate6.55 ppbof 10 ppb
66% of the limitDMP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz
Di (2-ethylhexyl) Terephthalate0.145 ppmof 60 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHT (FCM 798) SML 60 mg/kg, group restriction with DINCH. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Measured in: Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz
Diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic Acid0.087 ppmof 60 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DINCH (FCM 775) group restriction with DEHT, 60 mg/kg. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Measured in: Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz
Diethylhexyl Adipate0.0135 ppmof 18 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHA (FCM 207) SML 18 mg/kg.
Measured in: Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz

Ingredients · 5

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Common questions

Is GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag healthy?

GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag scores 8/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, Intense Dark 72% Cacao (plain squares/bars). It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag?

GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag lists 5 ingredients, starting with Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract, Cane Sugar and Soy Lecithin. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag’s ingredient list matches a seed oil — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran or peanut oil, or an unspecified "vegetable oil".

How processed is GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag?

GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag compare to other chocolate?

At 8/100 GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag scores worse than most chocolate we have scored. A higher-scoring option in chocolate is Hu Organic Hazelnut Butter + Hazelnut Crunch Milk Chocolate at 100/100.

Is GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag organic?

GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag is not certified organic in our data.

Has GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag been lab tested?

Yes. 18 substances in GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag have a laboratory result on file — see the Contaminants section above for each reading and the limit it was measured against. Other products in its family (Intense Dark 72% Cacao (plain squares/bars)), which share its base recipe, were lab tested too. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Their results are in the family's Contaminants section above.

Does GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag contain phthalates?

Yes. A lab detected DEHP at 86.5 ppb against a 6 ppb limit, dibutyl phthalate at 17 ppb against a 120 ppb limit and dimethylphthalate at 4.75 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in GHIRARDELLI Intense Dark Chocolate Squares 72% Cacao Holiday Chocolate 12.7 oz Bag. It tested for 8 other phthalates and found none above its detection limit. Each reading is in the Contaminants section above. Other products in its family, which share its base recipe, were tested too: a lab detected DEHP at 145 ppb against a 6 ppb limit in Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz and dimethylphthalate at 6.55 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in Premium Dark 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests.

Full methodology: how we score products.

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