Testing Werther’s Original Butter Candies (Made in Germany, Purchased in England) for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, & Arsenic with Third-Party, Independent Laboratory Testing
Published June 23, 2025 — Monday
A Quick Note from Tamara Rubin:
As part of our “England Edit,” we purchased quite a few products in April 2025, when we were in England, specifically with the intention of sending them to a lab for third-party testing when we returned to the United States. Here’s what we found after sending in the Werther’s Original Butter Candy product, made in Germany.
We were excited when this (the third German candy we have tested) came back from the lab with “non-detect” results for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic! You can see the full original lab report for this product at the very bottom of this article (scroll down). All three of the German candies we tested that came back from the lab as safer choices are named in our full (updated today) lab-tested safer choices list — scroll down to see those updates!
Important points:
- The lab report below only applies to the version of this product that is made in Germany, which is sold in many countries in the UK and Europe, and can also be found on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4nkFc5i
- The American version of this product has a different ingredient profile and may test differently.
- You cannot assume the American version of a product will test equally well!
- When purchased in/ from a non-USA, English-speaking country, the packaging shifts. The German version of this product has the words “BUTTER CANDIES” on the package (see the graphic above) instead of words like caramel or caramel hard candies.
- If you are purchasing this product on Amazon, make sure to look for confirmation that it is the German-made version (compare the ingredients to other listings that do not have “Butter Candies” labeled on the package, and check to see if the vendor specifically imports candies from Europe).
- Of course, this product is much more expensive in the U.S. if you buy the German version ($1.99 to $3.50 an ounce, vs. 40 cents per ounce for the USA-made product), so that is another good indicator you are buying the German version.
As soon as we received test results back for this product, I purchased a few packages to send to a friend who has a chocolate habit they cannot seem to kick. Given the buttery taste and the fact that it’s a hard-candy, I thought maybe she could reach for these each time she thinks she wants chocolate, offering a better option than poisoning her body with the high levels of Cadmium and Lead found in most chocolate products. I personally love these as an alternative to other (more toxic) sweet cravings (they even sell a sugar-free version, which we haven’t tested yet but will be once we gather the resources to do so!)
Testing and reporting for this particular product did not fund via our crowd-funding GoFundMe campaign. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a contribution supporting the costs of testing and reporting on this particular product, you can do so here. Thank you. If we raise enough to cover the costs of testing this product, we will also test the American version (as a bit of a 2-for-1 deal) to see if it is a cleaner option (although we are expecting this may not be the case, given the different ingredient profiles and manufacturing standards between Germany and the USA).
This German butter candy has been added to our new SAFER CHOICES list. Our updated count for lab-tested safer choices is currently at 78 products! Please scroll down to check them out.
Again, thank you for reading and thank you for sharing this information in your communities.
The Lead Safe Mama, LLC Laboratory Testing Initiative is a community-collaborative project (started in March 2024) through which members of the greater Lead Safe Mama online community nominate products for laboratory testing and then collectively crowd-fund to cover the costs of the lab testing and reporting on nominated products. To help Lead Safe Mama, LLC test and report on more products (in search of safer choices for families), please contribute ($15? $25? Whatever you can afford!) to any of our open campaigns, linked here. Thank you!
- Click through our landing page for lab reports on more products we have tested, organized by category.
- To see the original full lab report for this product, scroll down to the very bottom of the page (again, the report is below the shareable social media graphic summarizing the test results).
- Our lab-tested safer choices list is below as well.
The original lab report for this product is at the bottom of this article. Please scroll down.
Here’s the link to our landing page with ALL of the lab reports for the independent, third-party laboratory testing Lead Safe Mama, LLC has coordinated since March 2024 — this is also a good page to bookmark and check back on periodically as we update it every day or two as we publish new reports (it is always pinned at the top of the website’s Menu via the button graphic below, and the Menu can be found at the top of every page on this site).
For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).
- Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
- Since July 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for seven product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Please check out our press page for news coverage of our work, linked here.
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Advertising and affiliate income help Lead Safe Mama, LLC cover the costs of the work we do here (independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy). We have removed ads from most of our more widely-read articles and new articles (like this one!) to make them easier for you to read. In addition to supporting this work by starting any shopping you might be doing with a click on our affiliate links, if you would like to help with Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy work by making a contribution (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free), click here. Thank you!
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Are you interested in seeing MORE safer choices?
Below is an expanding list of products (foods, supplements, cosmetics, and personal care items) that tested “non-detect” for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic with independent, third-party, community-funded laboratory testing coordinated by Lead Safe Mama, LLC (an Oregon-based small business with a unique community-collaborative business model and a focus on consumer goods safety and childhood Lead poisoning prevention). The product examples below clearly demonstrate that companies can manufacture safer choices (at least from the perspective of a concern for heavy metals contamination).
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The limits of detection (low-threshold of detection) for each of the metals tested are noted in the lab report for the specific product listed. To see the full original lab report for any of these products, type the brand name into the search bar at the top of any page on Lead Safe Mama dot com (and scroll down to the bottom of the related article). All our published lab reports are also linked here, on our lab testing landing page.
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Flavors (or specific variations) tested are noted, and other flavors of the same product (or other products from the same brand) have either not been tested or have been tested but did not yield similar results. Test results only apply to the specific products linked below.
Products on our “safer choices” list are retested periodically (annually or more frequently, as funding permits). If a product no longer tests clean, it is removed from the list.
LIST UPDATED — June 23, 2025, Monday
Now at 72 products + 6 “bonus” options. Scroll down to see all 78 Lab-tested Safer Choices:
- Baby Food — 1 — Little Spoon Kale, Carrot + Pear BabyBlends
- Baby Food — 2 —Little Spoon Butternut Squash + Blueberry BabyBlends
- Baby Food — 3 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato BabyBlends
- Baby Food — 4 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato + Carrot BabyBlends
- Baby Food — 5 — Little Spoon Banana + Pitaya BabyBlends
- Beverage — 1 — Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After Apple Juice Drink: https://amzn.to/4fjGhov
- Beverage — 2 — Olipop Grape Tonic: https://amzn.to/4cjFYZu
- Beverage — 3 — Synergy Golden Pineapple Kombucha: https://amzn.to/3HVzMgM
- Breakfast Cereal — 1 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Panda Puffs: https://amzn.to/4fo1crf
- Breakfast Cereal — 2 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Corn Puffs Gorilla Munch: https://amzn.to/3FHZCDO
- Candy — 1 — Cavendish & Harvey Wild Berry Drops, not organic (Made in Germany): https://amzn.to/3Z1Jxjr
- Candy — 2 — Haribo Gummy Bears (Made in Germany, not USA-produced): https://amzn.to/3FCGVlu
- Candy — 3 — Lindt White Chocolate Bar (Made in USA, New Hampshire): https://amzn.to/3OXkyIm
- Candy — 4 — Werther’s Original Butter Candies (Made in Germany, not USA-produced): https://amzn.to/4nkFc5i
- Coffee & Tea — 1 — Chameleon Handcrafted Organic Cold Brew Concentrate: https://amzn.to/3OcrH77
- Coffee & Tea — 2 —Tao of Tea Organic Genmaicha (Tamara’s favorite, from Japan, sold by a Portland, Oregon-based company!): https://amzn.to/3Dp8Fsd
- Coffee & Tea — 3 — Califia Farms Almond Latte Cold Brew (XX Espresso): https://amzn.to/4gTTGoJ
- Coffee & Tea — 4 — Death Wish Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (Multi-country origin, non-USA): https://amzn.to/3yo1eiL
- Cosmetic— 1 — Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Lotion: https://amzn.to/3YmKxy1
- Cosmetic — 2 — Kora Organics Noni Face Oil: https://amzn.to/43hy2XO
- Dairy — 1 — (cheese) — Babybel Mini Original Snack Cheese: https://amzn.to/3ZY5noO
- Dairy — 2 — (coffee creamer) — Organic Valley Grassmilk Half and Half: https://amzn.to/4fHJIWT
- Fruit Snack — 1 — (bar) — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Raspberry Lemonade Flavor: https://amzn.to/3XcFsIp
- Fruit Snack — 2 — (bar) — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Strawberry Banana Flavor: https://amzn.to/3WQEekA
- Fruit Snack — 3 — (pouch) — Costco’s Kirkland Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/4gOYpZ9
- Fruit Snack — 4 — (pouch) — GoGo Squeez Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/3XhWYLe
- Fruit Snack — 5 — (pouch) — Once Upon A Farm Dairy Free Fruit Smoothie Pouch in Strawberry Banana Swirl Flavor: https://amzn.to/3CPMbAw
- Infant Formula — 1 — Bobbie Organic Gentle Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (pink and white can): https://amzn.to/3YYb849
- Infant Formula — 2 — Bobbie Organic Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green and white can): https://amzn.to/3VOr4Vy
- Infant Formula — 3 — Bobbie Grass-Fed Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green can): https://amzn.to/3ZlAaeJ
- Infant Formula — 4 — ByHeart Infant Formula (USA-made, not organic): https://amzn.to/48DJjTb
- Infant Formula — 5 — HiPP Bio Combiotik Infant Formula Powder, Stage 1 (imported)
- Infant Formula — 6 — HiPP HA Stage PRE (0+ Months) Combiotic Formula (imported)
- Infant Formula — 7 — Holle Bio Goat Stage 2 Infant Formula (for 6-10 months, organic, European — Swiss/ German/ Austrian) is not available on Amazon, but the Stage 3 version of this product is (not yet tested, but will likely test similarly): https://amzn.to/3BVU7zI
- Infant Formula — 8 — Kendamil Goat Infant Formula (not organic): This product may be available at Target (it is not available on Amazon)
- Infant Formula — 9 — Kendamil Organic Follow-On Milk (European/ British Toddler Formula, for 6-12 months, Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon
- Infant Formula — 10 — Kendamil Whole Milk Infant Formula (from Europe, pink can, not organic), available at Target
- Infant Formula — 11 — Kendamil Organic Infant Formula (Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon but may be available at Target
- Ingredient — 1 — (baking flour) — Jovial Organic Einkorn Flour (Italy): https://amzn.to/3LIqxix
- Ingredient — 2 — (beans) — Jovial Organic Chickpeas, Product of Italy: https://amzn.to/4iRON1l
- Ingredient — 3 — (vinegar) — Napa Valley Naturals Organic Red Wine Vinegar (California): https://amzn.to/4jWhHOg
- Oil — 1 — (avocado) — Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil (not organic): https://amzn.to/3YDZSuv
- Oil — 2 — (coconut) — Dr. Bronner’s Regenerative Organic Coconut Oil: https://amzn.to/40xwBmv
- Oil — 3 — (olive) — Bryan Johnson BluePrint Snake Oil Olive Oil (not organic): https://amzn.to/4mMieUj
- Oil — 4 — (perilla seed) — Dr. Adorable’s Organic Perilla Seed Oil (Korea): https://amzn.to/3NDt7Yc
- Plant-Based Milk — 1 — (coffee creamer) — Laird Superfood Coconut Creamer: https://amzn.to/4fItA7A
- Plant-Based Milk — 2 — (plant milk) — Kiki Milk Organic Plant-Based Milk (original flavor): https://amzn.to/3AA6Qrt
- Plant-Based Milk — 3 — (soy milk) — West Soy Unflavored Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk: https://amzn.to/4dwev8l
- Salt — 1 — Jacobsen’s Sea Salt (Oregon, USA): https://amzn.to/4dcbk5L
- NEW! Salt — 2 —Maldon Sea Salt Flakes**: https://amzn.to/4iTzWTE
- NEW! Salt — 3 — Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt** : https://amzn.to/4cVQMiy
- Seeds — 1 — (chia) — Navitas Organic, Gluten-Free Chia Seeds (Mexico): https://amzn.to/3YvE7xC
- Seeds — 2 — (hemp) — Costco Kirkland Organic Hemp Seeds: https://amzn.to/4e05RP9
- Supplement — 1 — (adult) — Clean Creatine (100% Creapure), Made in Germany (use with caution, read article): https://amzn.to/43UjrS6
- Supplement — 2 — (adult) — Doctor’s Best Vitamin C with Q-C: https://amzn.to/4hlVvea
- Supplement — 3 — (adult) — Nature’s Way Zinc Lozenges: https://amzn.to/4liDz6f
- Supplement — 4 — (adult) — Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil: https://amzn.to/48q1j2V
- Supplement — 5 — (adult) — Pectasol Modified Citrus Pectin, Formulated in the USA: https://amzn.to/3QUmZfN
- Supplement — 6 — (adult) — Pendulum Metabolic Daily Dietary Supplement: https://amzn.to/4gY5wOm
- Supplement — 7 — (kids) — Baby Ddrops, Organic Vitamin D3 Supplement for Babies: https://amzn.to/49C3ktH
- Supplement — 8 — (kids) — Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Multivitamin Liquid Drops with Iron: https://amzn.to/3YPhcgx
- Supplement — 9 — (kids) — Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Elderberry Liquid Drops: https://amzn.to/42617TU
- Supplement — 10 — (kids) — Nordic Naturals Kids Vitamin D3 Gummies (Ages 3+): https://amzn.to/4l7117a
- Sweetener — 1 — (sugar) — Anthony’s Organic Granulated Cane Sugar: https://amzn.to/4jf6vLv
- Sweetener — 2— (xylitol) — Espure Organic Xylitol: https://amzn.to/3GsCSrU
- Sweetener — 3— (xylitol) — Now Real Food Granulated Xylitol: https://amzn.to/4cNWDpM
- Toothpaste — 1 — Fluoride-free Orajel Kids Training Toothpaste in Natural Berry Fruity Flavor with Elmo Sesame Street packaging: https://amzn.to/41wxtrY
- Toothpaste — 2 — Fluoride-free Miessence Mint Toothpaste: https://amzn.to/4bJc4PO
- Toothpaste — 3 — Dr. Brown’s Fluoride-free Baby Toothpaste in Strawberry Flavor: https://amzn.to/3DCehzZ
- Toothpaste — 4 — Pegciz Kids Foam Toothpaste in Watermelon Flavor, Low Flouride (packaging varies, see report): https://amzn.to/3YzP68e
- Toothpaste — 5 — Kid’s Spry Fluoride-free Tooth Gel with Xylitol in Original Flavor: https://amzn.to/41GZb4e
- Toothpaste — 6 — Fluoride-free Essential Oxygen BR Certified Organic in Peppermint Flavor: https://amzn.to/4lARZ2J
**Lab reports pending/ Not yet published as of 6/23/2025
Here’s a link to our landing page featuring all the third-party lab reports for the foods, supplements, and cosmetic products we have published to date, including those listed above: https://tamararubin.com/2024/05/food-articles/
Stand by for more!
BONUS: Below are SIX additional products that each tested positive for trace (very low levels of) Arsenic — at levels considered safe by all standards (with the limits of detection noted in the lab report for the specific product listed).
- Infant Formula — Kendamil Goat Toddler Milk, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): May be available at Target or through other online retailers of European infant formulas
- Ingredient — Maseca Instant Corn Masa Flour, Product of Mexico (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4iR8qWN
- Fruit Snack — That’s It Apple Cherry Bars, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4fHkSWV
- Oil — Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado oil, organic (postive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3BVQYQa
- Supplement — (adult) — Now Sunflower Lecithin, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3AFdHzO
- Supplement — (adult) — WishGarden Immune Boost Seasonal Rescue for Pregnancy: https://amzn.to/3Cd940N
Amazon links are affiliate links.
Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on a Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon affiliate link, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.
Lab report for the product pictured above:
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