In fantastic news for chocolate-loving doctors, researchers have debunked a long-held belief that chocolate Santas are risky to eat because they are recycled from old chocolate Easter bunnies.

Using CT imaging, German authors set out to test the urban myth in the interests of the health of doctors and patients at hospitals where such treats are widely distributed. 

“Seasonal chocolate figurines are often given to inpatients and healthcare professionals during the Christmas season,” wrote German researchers in the Medical Journal of Australia.  

“If unsold chocolate Easter Bunny figurines are reused as chocolate Santa Clauses (and vice versa), as is widely believed, it would pose a potential threat to hospital hygiene.”