Custard in the HMI library has 10 reported results for lead, cadmium, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, total mercury and chromium from 3 sources.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source →
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Metals measured:
Lead, cadmium, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, total mercury and chromium, in 10 results from 3 sources.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source →
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Main drivers:
Form, basis and where the custard was sampled; reporting limits decide how many results are non-detects.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source →
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Practical framing:
Ask for lot results with a quantification limit well below the limit that applies in the destination market.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source →
Custard overview
Custard in the HMI library has 10 reported results for lead, cadmium, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, total mercury and chromium from 3 sources.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source → WHO GEMS/Food submissions reported lead in custard, as sold from 16 results in 2 reporting regions, with subgroup medians below 90 µg/kg, mostly non-detects.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source → For cadmium, GEMS/Food gave a subgroup median of 20 µg/kg from 15 results.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) 2014 reported inorganic arsenic at 8.8 µg/kg (mean) in custard, as sold from European dietary-survey occurrence data.2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →
For a buyer the practical points are the form bought, the basis a result is reported on, where the custard came from and the laboratory’s reporting limit. Testing finds contamination but does not remove it.
What counts as custard
This page covers custard, as sold (10 results).1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source →
Results stay on the basis each source reports: as sold or fresh weight, dry weight, or unstated. Dry-weight, as-sold and unstated results are never pooled, and no moisture conversion is applied.
Heavy metal contamination profile of custard
The table holds every extracted custard result: one row for each statistic a source reports for a form, group and metal, 10 rows in all, grouped by metal and form; percentiles, ranges and maxima for the same samples as a mean or median are shown on that row.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source → Monitoring medians are HMI calculations from individual submissions; non-detects remain intervals between zero and the reporting limit and are never read as zero.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →
1 row can be rated against an HMI reference for the same form and basis, 0 rows have a direct same-study comparison, and the rest stay unrated with the reason recorded.
Comparison methods and scope
Each row is one statistic a source reports for one form of custard, group and metal; percentiles, ranges and maxima reported for the same samples as a mean or median are shown on that row. Different forms and preparation states are kept apart, and dry-weight results never share a reference with as-sold or fresh-weight results. Ratings place a result against an HMI reference built from monitoring results and ordinary-setting medians for the same form and basis. Same-study contrasts compare a contaminated or treated site with its control, targeted with random sampling, a prepared form with the unprocessed one, or one group of a study with the median of its other groups. Held rows failed a check against their own source and are shown but not compared.
First displayed analyte: Lead: 3 findings from 1 source. Each row retains its statistic and measurement basis.
Filter findings
10 of 10 findings · 6 analytes
About this table
| Food form | Collection scope | Finding (µg/kg) | Comparison | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3 findings · 1 study | ||||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | EURO2011–2014 | median. | ||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | EURO2007–2017 | median. | ||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | WPRO2013 | median. | ||
2 findings · 1 study | ||||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | EURO2005–2014 | median. | ||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | EURO2003–2009 | median. | ||
1 finding · 1 study | ||||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | EURO2020 | median. | ||
1 finding · 1 study | ||||
| Custard, as soldEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) 2014 | European dietary-survey occurrence data2003–2013Basis not stated | mean. | ||
1 finding · 1 study | ||||
| Custard, as soldWHO GEMS/Food | EURO2004–2014 | median. | ||
2 findings · 1 study | ||||
| Custard, as soldEFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) 2014 | all samples, EFSA FoodEx subgroup, LB2000–2013 | mean. | ||
| Custard, as soldEFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) 2014 | all samples, EFSA FoodEx subgroup, UB2000–2013 | mean. | ||
Shared dataset methods and interpretation
Source summaries retain their original statistic, material, basis and censoring. Each source drawer identifies methods and overlapping samples. No matched reference or pooled distribution is inferred.
HMI custard Pb reference · Custard, as sold
Reference and scope
HMI custard Pb reference · Custard, as sold. Custard, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.
| Reference (µg/kg) | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary HMI reference | ≤4.65 | ≤20 | ≤20 |
| Alternative weighting | ≤4.65 | ≤20 | ≤20 |
8 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.
| Contributing family | Reference units | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| WHO GEMS/Food | 8 | 100% |
Methods
HMI pools subgroup medians for custard, as sold on a as sold, as eaten or fresh weight basis: monitoring results summarized as one median per reporting region, sampling type and collection year, total diet composites and printed sample values as single observations, and printed subgroup medians from ordinary farms or markets. Each sampling family has equal total weight. Non-detects stay as zero-to-limit intervals, so quartiles carry lower and upper bounds. Means, ranges and maxima never enter as observations. Other forms, other bases, targeted sampling and results from mining, industrial, wastewater-affected, experimental, fertiliser or manufacturer settings are kept out of this reference.
Inverse weighted empirical CDF; midpoint at exact cumulative-weight boundaries. At least four reference units and a definitely positive Q1 to Q3 spread are required. This is a display eligibility rule, not statistical validation.
Limitations
WHO GEMS/Food is the only compatible sampling family for custard, as sold on this basis in the completed custard ledger, so this single-family reference cannot represent other markets. Reporting regions and purchase markets are not growing areas. Non-detects with differing limits widen the bounds. A position is descriptive concentration, not a safety or compliance judgment.
Admitted source families
Reference version and interpretation
Frozen evidence selection: 2026-10-22. Method: hmi-pooled-reference-v2.
hmi-pooled-reference-v2:custard-22fb58e5b3e4:a7622d94020f
The reference is computed by HMI from admitted evidence, not copied from a study baseline. It describes the evidence currently in this scope; it is not a worldwide or current-lot benchmark. Source, year and region filters do not change it. Different HMI scopes are not one common ranking.
HMI custard Cd reference · Custard, as sold
Reference and scope
HMI custard Cd reference · Custard, as sold. Custard, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.
| Reference (µg/kg) | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary HMI reference | ≤1.65 | 0.825–3.81 (bounded) | 2.63–10 (bounded) |
| Alternative weighting | ≤1.65 | 0.825–3.81 (bounded) | 2.63–10 (bounded) |
6 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.
| Contributing family | Reference units | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| WHO GEMS/Food | 6 | 100% |
Methods
HMI pools subgroup medians for custard, as sold on a as sold, as eaten or fresh weight basis: monitoring results summarized as one median per reporting region, sampling type and collection year, total diet composites and printed sample values as single observations, and printed subgroup medians from ordinary farms or markets. Each sampling family has equal total weight. Non-detects stay as zero-to-limit intervals, so quartiles carry lower and upper bounds. Means, ranges and maxima never enter as observations. Other forms, other bases, targeted sampling and results from mining, industrial, wastewater-affected, experimental, fertiliser or manufacturer settings are kept out of this reference.
Inverse weighted empirical CDF; midpoint at exact cumulative-weight boundaries. At least four reference units and a definitely positive Q1 to Q3 spread are required. This is a display eligibility rule, not statistical validation.
Limitations
WHO GEMS/Food is the only compatible sampling family for custard, as sold on this basis in the completed custard ledger, so this single-family reference cannot represent other markets. Reporting regions and purchase markets are not growing areas. Non-detects with differing limits widen the bounds. A position is descriptive concentration, not a safety or compliance judgment.
Admitted source families
Reference version and interpretation
Frozen evidence selection: 2026-10-22. Method: hmi-pooled-reference-v2.
hmi-pooled-reference-v2:custard-b282ff02a8db:3930c0eb72f7
The reference is computed by HMI from admitted evidence, not copied from a study baseline. It describes the evidence currently in this scope; it is not a worldwide or current-lot benchmark. Source, year and region filters do not change it. Different HMI scopes are not one common ranking.
HMI custard tAs reference · Custard, as sold
Reference and scope
HMI custard tAs reference · Custard, as sold. Custard, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.
| Reference (µg/kg) | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary HMI reference | ≤7.16 | ≤7.16 | ≤7.16 |
| Alternative weighting | ≤7.16 | ≤7.16 | ≤7.16 |
1 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.
| Contributing family | Reference units | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| WHO GEMS/Food | 1 | 100% |
Methods
HMI pools subgroup medians for custard, as sold on a as sold, as eaten or fresh weight basis: monitoring results summarized as one median per reporting region, sampling type and collection year, total diet composites and printed sample values as single observations, and printed subgroup medians from ordinary farms or markets. Each sampling family has equal total weight. Non-detects stay as zero-to-limit intervals, so quartiles carry lower and upper bounds. Means, ranges and maxima never enter as observations. Other forms, other bases, targeted sampling and results from mining, industrial, wastewater-affected, experimental, fertiliser or manufacturer settings are kept out of this reference.
Inverse weighted empirical CDF; midpoint at exact cumulative-weight boundaries. At least four reference units and a definitely positive Q1 to Q3 spread are required. This is a display eligibility rule, not statistical validation.
Limitations
WHO GEMS/Food is the only compatible sampling family for custard, as sold on this basis in the completed custard ledger, so this single-family reference cannot represent other markets. Reporting regions and purchase markets are not growing areas. Non-detects with differing limits widen the bounds. A position is descriptive concentration, not a safety or compliance judgment.
Admitted source families
Reference version and interpretation
Frozen evidence selection: 2026-10-22. Method: hmi-pooled-reference-v2.
hmi-pooled-reference-v2:custard-f7b5e3edaab1:6ec93eb064c7
The reference is computed by HMI from admitted evidence, not copied from a study baseline. It describes the evidence currently in this scope; it is not a worldwide or current-lot benchmark. Source, year and region filters do not change it. Different HMI scopes are not one common ranking.
HMI custard tHg reference · Custard, as sold
Reference and scope
HMI custard tHg reference · Custard, as sold. Custard, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.
| Reference (µg/kg) | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary HMI reference | ≤1 | ≤1.5 | ≤4 |
| Alternative weighting | ≤1 | ≤1.5 | ≤4 |
6 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.
| Contributing family | Reference units | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| WHO GEMS/Food | 6 | 100% |
Methods
HMI pools subgroup medians for custard, as sold on a as sold, as eaten or fresh weight basis: monitoring results summarized as one median per reporting region, sampling type and collection year, total diet composites and printed sample values as single observations, and printed subgroup medians from ordinary farms or markets. Each sampling family has equal total weight. Non-detects stay as zero-to-limit intervals, so quartiles carry lower and upper bounds. Means, ranges and maxima never enter as observations. Other forms, other bases, targeted sampling and results from mining, industrial, wastewater-affected, experimental, fertiliser or manufacturer settings are kept out of this reference.
Inverse weighted empirical CDF; midpoint at exact cumulative-weight boundaries. At least four reference units and a definitely positive Q1 to Q3 spread are required. This is a display eligibility rule, not statistical validation.
Limitations
WHO GEMS/Food is the only compatible sampling family for custard, as sold on this basis in the completed custard ledger, so this single-family reference cannot represent other markets. Reporting regions and purchase markets are not growing areas. Non-detects with differing limits widen the bounds. A position is descriptive concentration, not a safety or compliance judgment.
Admitted source families
Reference version and interpretation
Frozen evidence selection: 2026-10-22. Method: hmi-pooled-reference-v2.
hmi-pooled-reference-v2:custard-07d6420f327e:ced024b5a246
The reference is computed by HMI from admitted evidence, not copied from a study baseline. It describes the evidence currently in this scope; it is not a worldwide or current-lot benchmark. Source, year and region filters do not change it. Different HMI scopes are not one common ranking.
The result is below a reporting limit, and the range from zero to that limit crosses more than one band.
No medians or sample values exist for this form and metal, so no HMI reference could be built.
The HMI reference for this form has fewer than four units or no measurable spread, below the display minimum.
The result is on a basis (dry weight, or not stated) that no HMI reference for this form uses, so it cannot be placed.
No findings match these filters. Change the selection or reset to show all source findings.
How metals reach custard
No study in the library compared custard from contaminated and ordinary settings, so the routes by which metals reach it are not measured here.
Which forms and regions measured lower
The HMI reference for lead in custard, as sold pools 8 subgroup units from 1 sampling family, with a median of below 20 µg/kg and a middle half spanning below 4.65 (lower quartile) and below 20 µg/kg (upper quartile).1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source → For cadmium in custard, as sold, the reference median was between 0.825 and 3.81 µg/kg, with a middle half from below 1.65 to between 2.63 and 10 µg/kg across 6 units.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source → For total mercury in custard, as sold, the reference median was below 1.5 µg/kg, with a middle half from below 1 to below 4 µg/kg across 6 units.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →
Processing, cooking and preparation
No processing study for metals in this food is in the library yet.
Mitigation for custard
Lot testing against the applicable limit is the check that can be verified.
No measured way to lower metals in this food is in the library yet.
Trade-offs and limits of controls
Metals do not move together, so a lot that passes a lead limit says little about cadmium, arsenic or nickel unless those are tested as well.
Testing custard for metals
Results depend on the method and its reporting limit. Reporting limits for lead ranged from 20 µg/kg (WHO GEMS/Food) to 90 µg/kg (WHO GEMS/Food), so a non-detect from a less sensitive method says much less.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source → Reporting limits for cadmium ranged from 5 µg/kg (WHO GEMS/Food) to 10 µg/kg (WHO GEMS/Food), so a non-detect from a less sensitive method says much less.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →
A useful lot result names the form, the basis and a quantification limit well below the limit that applies.
Buying and verifying custard
No maximum level for metals in custard was verified from primary text for this page; buyers should confirm the limit that applies in the destination market.
Exposure from custard
No source in the library converted custard concentrations into a verified estimate of intake for a defined population. Concentrations describe the food, not individual risk.
Evidence review and remaining gaps
Every source record that names custard was decided on its content: 3 occurrence extracted, 3 records in all. The occurrence table renders every extracted result; held values remain visible with their reason.
References identify the sources used in these answers. The Sources index preserves additional discovery links; inclusion there does not mean a source has been reviewed for this assessment. Corrections, completed searches, new direct evidence and changes in requirements should reopen the relevant answer.
Custard FAQs
What heavy metals are found in custard?
The library reports lead, cadmium, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, total mercury and chromium in custard, most often lead, cadmium and total arsenic.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →3Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3595Read source → WHO GEMS/Food submissions reported lead in custard, as sold from 16 results in 2 reporting regions, with subgroup medians below 90 µg/kg, mostly non-detects.1GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsGEMS/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment ProgrammeRead source →
How much of the arsenic in custard is inorganic?
Inorganic arsenic, the more toxic form, was measured in 1 result from 1 source, far fewer than total arsenic.2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source → European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) 2014 reported inorganic arsenic at 8.8 µg/kg (mean) in custard, as sold from European dietary-survey occurrence data.2Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationEFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597Read source →
References
Works cited on this page, in citation-number order. See Sources for this page’s source inventory. Each title links to a source record with bibliographic details, reported findings, and document provenance.
- GEMS/Food Contaminants database heavy-metal exportsDataset
- Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European populationGovernment
- Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of chromium in food and drinking waterGovernment
Sources
Browse Custard Sources for sources cited on this page and additional discovery candidates. The searchable index distinguishes verified citation use from discovery relationships whose relevance has not been established.
Update history
22 October 2026: Rebuilt from every custard record in the library: 3 occurrence sources, references by form and basis, same-study contrasts.