The words “excellence” and “expertly crafted with the finest ingredients” emblazoned on Lindt’s packaging are nothing more than product “puffery,” according to the Swiss chocolatier’s lawyers.

In December 2022, dark chocolate lovers took pause after Consumer Reports found cadmium and lead in all 28 bars it tested — “heavy metals linked to a host of health problems in children and adults.” Two months later, a class-action lawsuit followed, led by consumers concerned with the contamination of various chocolate bars, including two by Lindt.