Non-root vegetables
Completeness scorecard
Deterministic gap audit — no score is composite, no cell is LLM-judged. Each chip is re-derivable by re-running tools/evidence/build-ingredient-scorecard.mjs. review: residuals and missing data are worked autonomously via data/evidence/ingredient-scorecard-review-flags.csv and wiki/completeness-gaps.md.
| Dimension | Status | What’s there (auditable counts) | What’s missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Analyte coverage (tier: staple) | GAP | 2/10 HMTc analytes, total n=2 | only 2/10 analytes have evidence |
| D2 Regional coverage | OK | 9 jurisdictions, top CN 30% | — |
| D3 Anthropogenic evidence | GAP | 1 irrigation-water + 1 agricultural-soil + 1 drinking-water; no supply-chain link | link a supply-chain/ hub page |
| D4 Background mechanism | GAP | section present, 0 drivers, 2 upstream source(s) | drivers[] empty |
| D5 Pooling depth | THIN | iAs THIN, tHg THIN | iAs: needs 2 more study(ies); tHg: needs 2 more study(ies) |
| D6 Speciation | OK | iAs, tHg, tAs declared | — |
| D7 Basis declaration | GAP | 0/8 populated cells declare a basis token | 8 populated cell(s) lack a basis token: iAs, tHg, Ni, Al, Cr, Sn, tAs, U |
| D8 Provenance integrity | GAP | 3 claims checked, 3 supported; 1 citations, 0 orphan, 1 foreign | 1 foreign citation(s) not naming non-root-vegetables: fsa2016-infant-food-formula-metals-survey |
| D9 Mitigation | GAP | 0 cited lever(s), 0 mitigation/ link(s) | section present but no source-cited lever |
| D10 Regulatory coverage | OK | 2 rule link(s), 6 metal(s) covered | — |
| D11 Standards-readiness | NOT-READY | priority: iAs, tHg; pairing 0 paired, 2 single, 0 unpaired | iAs: THIN, needs 2 more study(ies); tHg: THIN, needs 2 more study(ies); basis: 8 populated cell(s) lack a basis token: iAs, tHg, Ni, Al, Cr, Sn, tAs, U; depth below staple bar |
| Principle balance | OK | consumer-protection 0.67, contamination-reduction 0.00, brand-value 0.00, legal-defensibility 0.50, scale 0.25 | — |
FSA/Fera measured this ingredient or a closely matching non-infant-specific food composite in the FS102048 survey. Exact concentrations remain in progress until Table 6 is parsed into structured ingredient rows with quantitation flags preserved. fsa2016-infant-food-formula-metals-survey
Why this commodity accumulates heavy metals
Non-root vegetables encompass above-ground or just-below-surface plant structures including brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), leguminous vegetables (peas, beans in pod), solanaceous fruits (tomatoes, peppers), cucurbits (cucumber, zucchini), and stem vegetables (asparagus, celery). As a category, non-root vegetables generally accumulate lower concentrations of heavy metals than root vegetables because the consumed portion has less direct soil contact. The primary exposure pathways are root uptake with subsequent translocation to above-ground tissue (the main route for Cd and Pb), and atmospheric deposition of Pb-containing particulates onto leaf and surface tissue (relevant for leafy varieties and for vegetables grown in urban or industrial areas). The efficiency of root-to-shoot metal translocation varies by plant species and metal: Cd is more phytomobile than Pb, meaning Cd is more readily translocated from root to above-ground tissue under soil contamination conditions, while Pb tends to be retained in root tissue and binds to the root cell wall. For the sub-types included in this broad category page, tomatoes and cucumbers generally show lower metal concentrations than brassicas because the fruit-type tissue is more physiologically protected. Peas (legumes) may accumulate Ni at modest levels because legumes have broader soil-metal uptake capacity.
This is a broad category page. Individual pages for specific vegetables carry more detailed accumulation information where dedicated source coverage exists.
Heavy metal contamination profile
Per-analyte snapshot derived from the machine-readable contamination_profile in the frontmatter above. data gap indicates the literature has been reviewed for this commodity-analyte combination and no usable occurrence data was found (a finding, not a placeholder). The Key sources column shows the top 2-3 contributing sources by year and sample size, with numbered wikilink aliases.
| Analyte | Coverage | Typical (ppb) | p95 (ppb) | Confidence | Key sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pb | pending | — | — | — | — |
| Cd | pending | — | — | — | — |
| iAs | n=1 | 9.4–125.3 | 150.2 | medium | — |
| tAs | data gap | — | — | — | — |
| tHg | n=1 | 0–0.2 | 2.7 | medium | — |
| Ni | data gap | — | — | — | — |
| Al | data gap | — | — | — | — |
| Cr | data gap | — | — | — | — |
| Sn | data gap | — | — | — | — |
| U | data gap | — | — | — | — |
Routing
This node is linked from non-root-vegetable-purees, vegetable-juices-non-root.
Contamination Profile State
The machine-readable contamination profile is in_progress. Ingredient-level values belong here once parsed; finished-product values belong on the relevant product-category page.
Ranges by source, region, and variety
Within the non-root vegetable category, the principal axis of variation is vegetable type rather than geography. Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) generally contain higher Cd concentrations than fruit-type vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers) because brassicas are more efficient at translocating soil Cd into above-ground biomass through active sulfate transport mechanisms. Leafy brassicas grown near roads or in areas with historic leaded-gasoline use may carry elevated surface Pb from atmospheric deposition. Leguminous vegetables (peas, green beans) sit in a mid-range position. Geographic variation within a vegetable type is secondary to the soil contamination level of the growing site: vegetables from certified organic or monitored soils in the same region as contaminated conventional growing sites may show substantially different Cd and Pb concentrations. The FSA FS102048 survey fsa2016-infant-food-formula-metals-survey covers non-root vegetables as a monitoring composite; more granular sub-commodity breakdowns will be added as dedicated source pages accumulate.
Processing effects
Washing and trimming are the most practically significant processing steps for this category. Washing removes surface-deposited Pb particulates from leaves and fruit surfaces, reducing Pb concentration relative to unwashed fresh product; the magnitude of reduction depends on the vegetable type and the degree of surface contamination. Trimming outer leaves (cabbage, lettuce) removes the tissue most exposed to atmospheric deposition. Blanching and steaming leach some water-soluble minerals and trace elements, but the effect on Cd and Pb concentrations is modest because these metals are not primarily in the cytoplasmic water fraction. Canning of vegetables (peas, corn, tomatoes) may introduce Sn from tinplate containers where internal lacquer is absent or degraded, but this is a packaging-related rather than a commodity-related effect. Frozen vegetables, prepared with blanching before freezing, retain a metal profile comparable to fresh-blanched product.
Ingredient-derivative risk
The main derivatives where a materially different metal profile arises are vegetable juices and vegetable concentrates produced by extraction and evaporation. Juice extraction from tomatoes or other high-moisture vegetables concentrates metals proportionally with water removal. Freeze-dried vegetable powders (used in supplements and nutritional products) show elevated ppb values relative to fresh vegetable on a wet weight basis simply because moisture has been removed. Fermented vegetable products (sauerkraut, kimchi) do not materially alter total metal concentrations relative to the fresh starting material.
Mitigation options
Sourcing levers
Sourcing from suppliers with documented soil-testing programs, particularly for Cd and Pb in soils used for Cd-accumulating brassicas, is the most effective control. For leafy and surface-exposed varieties, sourcing from non-urban growing areas with low atmospheric deposition reduces Pb from particulate deposition.
Agronomic levers
No quantified data on this lever in the current corpus; section will be expanded when relevant evidence is ingested.
Processing levers
Thorough washing before processing reduces surface-deposited Pb. Trimming outer leaves eliminates the highest-exposure tissue in leafy brassicas. Where lacquer-lined cans are used, consistent quality control on lacquer coverage reduces Sn migration risk in canned vegetable products.
Formulation levers
No quantified data on this lever in the current corpus; section will be expanded when relevant evidence is ingested.
Testing and QC levers
No quantified data on this lever in the current corpus; section will be expanded when relevant evidence is ingested.
Packaging and storage levers
No quantified data on this lever in the current corpus; section will be expanded when relevant evidence is ingested.
Regulatory limits that apply
European Union Regulation (EU) 2023/915 eu2023-contaminants-maximum-levels sets maximum levels of 0.10 mg/kg for Pb and 0.050 mg/kg for Cd in most fresh vegetables on a wet weight basis, covering the non-root vegetable category. Specific limits apply to some sub-categories: stem vegetables such as celery carry a lower Cd limit (0.10 mg/kg) under the regulation’s more stringent provisions for certain higher-accumulating vegetables. The Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CXS 193-1995) provides international reference limits for Pb and Cd in vegetables. No specific iAs or tHg limits apply to fresh or processed non-root vegetables under major regulatory frameworks. See eu2023-contaminants-maximum-levels and codex-cadmium-mls for applicable regulatory reference pages.
Sources
Auto-generated from source-page frontmatter. The “Used on this page for” column is populated by the orchestrator’s POPULATE-SOURCE-LEGEND action; pending entries appear as *[awaiting synthesis]*.
| # | Citation | Year | Type | Used on this page for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ye et al. 2026. Occurrence of Tin in Foods and Dietary Exposure Assessment in Zhejiang Province, China, Foods | 2026 | Peer-reviewed | CN Sn occurrence in 2014 food samples from Zhejiang Province, China, collected 2018–2019 using multistage stratified random sampling: fresh vegetables (n=673), tea… (n=2014) |
| 2 | Emmanuel 2025. Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Health Risks from Urban-Grown Vegetables in Kano State, Nigeria, ChemClass Journal | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | NG Cd, Ni, Pb, Mn, Cr occurrence in Vegetable and soil samples from urban agriculture sites in Wudil, Nomans-Land, and Sharada, Kano State, Nigeria, collected January-March… (n=64) |
| 3 | Mohammadi et al. 2025. Health risk assessment of heavy metals in root and fruit vegetables in Iran using Monte Carlo simulation, Discover Sustainability | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | IR Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni occurrence in Three carrot samples and three cucumber samples from each of seven cities or sampling points in Fars Province,… (n=42) |
| 4 | Han et al. 2024. Occurrence and Exposure Assessment of Nickel in Zhejiang Province, China, Toxics | 2024 | Peer-reviewed | Ni in non-root vegetable categories (leafy and other vegetables) from Zhejiang Province within a population dietary exposure assessment |
| 5 | Kharkwal et al. 2023. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk assessment of heavy metals in cooked beans and vegetables in Punjab, North India, Food Science & Nutrition | 2023 | Peer-reviewed | IN tAs, Cd, Pb, tHg occurrence in Cooked beans and cooked vegetable preparations collected from 150 selected households across 30 urban and rural locations in… (n=150) |
| 6 | USDA 2023. China Releases the Standard for Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods (USDA FAS GAIN Report CH2023-0040, unofficial translation of GB 2762-2022), USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), Report Number CH2023-0040 | 2023 | Regulation | CN Pb, Cd, tHg, MeHg, tAs, iAs, Sn, Ni, Cr occurrence in null |
| 7 | Bramwell et al. 2022. Determinants of blood and saliva lead concentrations in adult gardeners on urban agricultural sites, Environmental Geochemistry and Health | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | GB Pb occurrence in 43 adult urban-agriculture-site gardeners and 29 matched controls in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; environmental sampling included nearly 280… (n=72) |
| 8 | Kumar et al. 2022. Lead (Pb) Contamination in Agricultural Products and Human Health Risk Assessment in Bangladesh, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 233:257 | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | BD Pb occurrence in Published Pb concentration data for commonly consumed agricultural foods and food products in Bangladesh. (n=Literature survey covering three cereals, five pulses, ten fruits, and 34 vegetables/other agricultural food items) |
| 9 | Ullah et al. 2022. Health Risk Assessment and Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Heavy Metals in Vegetables of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Region, Pakistan, Biological Trace Element Research | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | PK Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, Mn occurrence in Nine locally grown vegetable types from three peri-urban D.I. Khan sectors: sectors X and Y irrigated with untreated… |
| 10 | Heshmati et al. 2020. Concentration and Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements, Lead and Cadmium, in Vegetables and Cereals Consumed in Western Iran, Journal of Food Protection 83(1):101-107 | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | IR/EU Pb, Cd occurrence in Four hundred composite food samples — 50 each of eight commodities (potato Solanum tuberosum, onion Allium cepa, tomato… (n=400) |
| 11 | Wang et al. 2019. Dietary Lead Exposure and Associated Health Risks in Guangzhou, China, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | 2019 | Peer-reviewed | CN Pb occurrence in Food safety risk monitoring samples from Guangzhou, China, collected during 2014-2017 across 27 food categories; consumption inputs came… (n=6339) |
| 12 | Alimohammadi et al. 2018. Heavy metal(oid)s concentration in Tehran supermarket vegetables: carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment, Toxin Reviews | 2018 | Peer-reviewed | IR tAs, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn occurrence in Six vegetable types (lettuce, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, potato, carrot; n=16 each, 96 total) collected from Tehran central fruit… (n=96) |
| 13 | Islam et al. 2018. Assessment of heavy metals in foods around the industrial areas: Health hazard inference in Bangladesh, Geocarto International | 2018 | Peer-reviewed | BD Cr, Ni, Cu, tAs, Cd, Pb occurrence in Seventy-five composite samples of rice, sponge gourd, bitter gourd, papaya, okra, bean, brinjal, and chili collected by hand… (n=75) |
| 14 | Ahmed et al. 2017. Arsenic Contamination of Water-Soil-Crop System in an Industrial Area of Bangladesh, International Journal of Environment | 2017 | Peer-reviewed | BD tAs occurrence in Vegetables grown in a Gazipur industrial-area water-soil-crop system in Bangladesh (n=27) |
| 15 | Jitender et al. 2017. Heavy Metals in Soil and Vegetables and their Effect on Health, International Journal of Engineering Science Technologies | 2017 | Peer-reviewed | IN Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni occurrence in Vegetables grown on domestic-wastewater-irrigated farmland around Hisar district, Haryana, India |
| 16 | X-D et al. 2016. Levels and potential health risk of heavy metals in marketed vegetables in Zhejiang, China, Scientific Reports | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | CN tAs, Cd, Cr, tHg, Ni, Pb occurrence in Five thousand seven hundred eighty-five vegetable samples of 28 species collected from Zhejiang province, China, from March to… (n=5785) |
| 17 | Sharma et al. 2016. Heavy metals in vegetables: screening health risks involved in cultivation along wastewater drain and irrigating with wastewater, SpringerPlus | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | IN Cd, Pb, Cu, Co, Fe occurrence in Edible portions of 12 common vegetable types from three Amritsar, Punjab agricultural sites, collected in triplicate per vegetable/site. (n=108) |
| 18 | Islam et al. 2015. The concentration, source and potential human health risk of heavy metals in the commonly consumed foods in Bangladesh, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety | 2015 | Peer-reviewed | BD Cr, Ni, Cu, tAs, Cd, Pb occurrence in Commonly consumed meat, egg, fish, milk, vegetable, cereal, and fruit foods collected from agriculture fields, farms, river, and… |
| 19 | Salehipour et al. 2015. Health Risks from Heavy Metals via Consumption of Cereals and Vegetables in Isfahan Province, Iran, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal | 2015 | Peer-reviewed | IR Pb, tAs, Ni, Zn, Cu occurrence in Seventy edible-part samples of nine commodities — onion (Allium cepa), leek (Allium pp.; species not stated by authors),… (n=70) |
| 20 | Zemanova et al. 2015. Changes in the contents of amino acids and the profile of fatty acids in response to cadmium contamination in spinach, Plant, Soil and Environment | 2015 | Peer-reviewed | CZ Cd occurrence in Spinach cv. Matador grown in a controlled pot experiment in Prague with four Cd soil-dose treatments and four… (n=96) |
| 21 | Huang et al. 2014. Heavy metals in vegetables and the health risk to population in Zhejiang, China, Food Control | 2014 | Peer-reviewed | CN tAs, Cd, tHg, Pb occurrence in Three hundred forty-three vegetable samples of 11 usual types collected in Zhejiang, China, from March to October 2012. (n=343) |
Page history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page. The full version history lives in git; when DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| b0f3d38 | 2026-06-12 | batch | corpus rescreen b04 old terminal skips |