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Feb 7, 2008 8:14 am US/Pacific
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Lab Tests Reveal More Than Just Sweets In Candy
Investigation Finds Nasty Surprises In Boxed Chocolates
DALLAS (CBS) ―
Who doesn't love chocolate? It evokes obsession, passion and love.
As Valentine's Day nears, many will stroll through groceries, retail stores or specialty shops and pick up some sweet treats for their sweetie.
But those looking to woo their beloved with chocolate may want to think twice.
A few weeks ago, CBS station KTVT-TV bought chocolates made all over the world. They went to the grocery store, to a Godiva store in a mall, and to a department store to conduct an investigation.
The sealed boxes were taken immediately to a local lab, where KTVT-TV paid to have the chocolates analyzed for foreign objects one would not expect to find in chocolate.
What the lab found was surprising. A microbiologist strained the chocolate, heated it and let it dry.
Under a microscope, everything in the sweets came into focus.
"We don't live in a sterile environment, and the good Lord gave us a stomach that will take care of any of these little bitty things," said Karen Deiss, senior microbiologist with Armstrong Forensic Labs.
The lab found a cat hair in the $44 box of Godiva chocolates. The findings also revealed small insect parts and clothing fibers.
Godiva said these are "common items that could have easily entered the product after it left our control."
Russell Stover and Whitman's candies share the same owner - and the same problems: insect parts and human hair were found in both boxes of chocolates.
The president Russell Stover Candies Inc. wrote a letter thanking the station for bringing the matter to his attention and sent envelopes so the chocolates could be returned to the company to verify the results.
Clothing fibers and a part of an insect were found in the pieces tested from box of Choxie chocolates purchased at Target.
In a letter, Target said: "We partner closely with our vendors to ensure all of our products are safe."
Samples from a box of Joseph Schmidt Confections contained insect parts, a human hair, and pieces of metallic glitter.
A representative of Hershey's Chocolate, speaking on behalf Joseph Schmidt, said, "I can assure you that all of our products meet stringent quality guidelines."
According to the lab, the hair and insect parts were ground up so fine, it was hard to see.
The Food & Drug Administration's limit for insect fragments is less than 90 per sample. Rodent hair is limited to less than three per sample.
No rodent hair was found in any of the samples, but the "gross out" factor bothered some people.
As one manufacturer said, "It's really impossible to exclude hair, bugs and fibers from chocolate or any other natural food product."
"I don't think I'll be ordering my chocolate latte now," a KTVT-TV viewer said.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)