Gilly Wong Fung-han (right), chief executive of the Consumer Council, and Kyrus Siu King-wai, chairman of the publicity and community relations committee of the council, reveal the latest findings published on the council’s flagship magazine the Choice on Oct 16, 2023. (WU KUNLING / CHINA DAILY)

One out of 29 chocolate samples was found to contain levels of the heavy metal, cadmium, in excess of the European Union limit, and 27 samples had extremely high sugar levels, test results released by Hong Kong's Consumer Council on Monday revealed.

According to the city's consumer watchdog, the prolonged intake of foods containing a high level of cadmium could impair consumers’ kidney functions. In addition, average adults are advised to limit their weekly chocolate intake to less than 100 grams to avoid risks of obesity and related metabolic diseases.

The results of the survey are published in the latest issue of Choice, the official monthly magazine from the Consumer Council, which was released on Monday.

The council tested 29 samples of chocolate from various retailers, including 20 samples of dark chocolate and nine of milk chocolate.

The survey found that, apart from the two dark chocolate samples labeled as having “no added sugar”, all samples were found to have high sugar levels — defined as having more than 15g sugar per 100g

As Hong Kong has no legal limit for the content of cadmium in chocolate, the council referred the standard implemented by the European Commission Regulation. The sample containing excessive cadmium levels has been sent to the Centre for Food Safety for further action.

The survey also found that, apart from the two dark chocolate samples labeled as having “no added sugar”, all samples were found to have high sugar levels — defined as having more than 15g sugar per 100g. Among the samples, the sugar levels in the milk chocolate were more than 90 percent higher than in the dark chocolate.

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Also in the latest issue of Choice, the council shared recent complaints it had received about tattoo and permanent make-up services.

It received 29 complaints about permanent make-up services — including tattooing, eyebrow embroidery, and microblading — between January and September this year. Complaints commonly included reports of unexpected outcomes such as allergic reactions and burns. The number of complaints had increased by over 80 percent compared to the same period last year.

Gilly Wong Fung-han, chief executive of the Consumer Council, referred to a case involving injury to the cornea resulting from poorly implemented permanent make-up eyeliner services. Poor hygiene management at the venue and of the equipment, as well as improper disinfection practices, may lead to infections, and may also increase the risk to staff and customers of becoming infected with blood-borne diseases, she noted.

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The latest issue of Choice also provides advice from the Consumer Council on buying plant-based milks and using formaldehyde removal services.

The Consumer Council’s Choice magazine, published since 1976, is aimed at advancing consumer education.