Hershey Sheds Bulk of Lawsuit Over Heavy Metals in Chocolate

Hershey Co. shook off, for now, most claims in a proposed class suit on behalf of consumers who say the company didn’t disclose that chocolate bars could contain the heavy metals lead and cadmium.

Lead plaintiff Eva Grausz says she wouldn’t have bought the chocolate, or wouldn’t have paid the asking price, had she known the products could contain heavy metals.

But the California consumer protection law claims based on that alleged omission fail because Grausz didn’t offer facts showing that Hershey had a duty to disclose the possible presence of heavy metals, the US District Court for the Southern ...