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Heavy Metal Index
Five unmarked ceramic bowls of smooth pureed foods illustrating root vegetable purees ingredient context.

Heavy metals in Root Vegetable Purees

Lead, cadmium, total arsenic and total mercury in root Vegetable Purees: monitoring results, studies, references by form and basis, limits, testing and controls.

Quick read

Root Vegetable Purees in the HMI library has 14 reported results for lead, cadmium, total arsenic, total mercury, nickel, chromium and uranium from 1 source.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source →

Root Vegetable Purees overview

Root Vegetable Purees in the HMI library has 14 reported results for lead, cadmium, total arsenic, total mercury, nickel, chromium and uranium from 1 source.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → In the US Total Diet Study, root Vegetable Purees, as sold had a median lead result of 21 µg/kg across 8 composites from 2018–2020.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → Its median cadmium result there was 4.15 µg/kg.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source →

For a buyer the practical points are the form bought, the basis a result is reported on, where the root Vegetable Purees came from and the laboratory’s reporting limit. Testing finds contamination but does not remove it.

What counts as root Vegetable Purees

This page covers root Vegetable Purees, as sold (14 results).1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → Foods made from root Vegetable Purees that have their own pages, such as non-root vegetable purees, are covered there.

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 root Vegetable Purees

The table holds every extracted root Vegetable Purees result: one row for each statistic a source reports for a form, group and metal, 14 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.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead 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.

5 rows 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 root vegetable purees, 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.

About this table
Food formCollection scopeFindingComparisonEvidence
Root Vegetable Purees findings from monitoring programmes, total diet studies and every extracted field, market and contaminated-site study, in µg/kg with each source’s form, basis, statistic and censoring retained.
Food formCollection scopeFinding (µg/kg)ComparisonEvidence
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
2 findings · 1 study
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study6 collection regions2018–2020median.
Root Vegetable Purees, as soldFDA Total Diet Study7 collection regions2018–2020median.
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 root vegetable purees Pb reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees Pb reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference6.410.516
Alternative weighting4.19.213.5

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-e775e6653020:5661ffbf8d64

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 root vegetable purees Cd reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees Cd reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference4.49.0523
Alternative weighting5.110.622

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-fd6174daf414:6b1cea1176da

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 root vegetable purees tAs reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees tAs reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference≤3≤3≤3
Alternative weighting≤3≤3≤3

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-9ba234374f2d:acfb35918e4c

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 root vegetable purees tHg reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees tHg reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference≤1≤1≤1
Alternative weighting≤1≤1≤1

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-01271260a2f9:23b8b7d72c63

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 root vegetable purees Ni reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees Ni reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference≤4057100
Alternative weighting≤405085

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-cb471c2ffa61:b40d51b4a9e6

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 root vegetable purees Cr reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees Cr reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference≤50≤50≤50
Alternative weighting≤50≤50≤50

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-8bd5d4c7425b:28b25bdbc47c

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 root vegetable purees U reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold

Reference and scope

HMI root vegetable purees U reference · Root Vegetable Purees, as sold. Root Vegetable Purees, as sold; As sold, as eaten or fresh weight, µg/kg; no moisture conversion. Distribution of subgroup median concentration values.

Reference (µg/kg)Q1MedianQ3
Primary HMI reference≤1≤1≤1
Alternative weighting≤1≤1≤1

22 reference units; 1 sampling family. Counts describe evidence units, not independent studies or certainty.

Contributing familyReference unitsWeight
FDA Total Diet Study22100%

Methods

HMI pools subgroup medians for root vegetable purees, 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

FDA Total Diet Study is the only compatible sampling family for root vegetable purees, as sold on this basis in the completed root vegetable purees 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:root-vegetable-purees-ef5c40065624:a598690c3809

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.

1 dataset

How metals reach root Vegetable Purees

No study in the library compared root Vegetable Purees 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 root Vegetable Purees, as sold pools 22 subgroup units from 1 sampling family, with a median of 10.5 µg/kg and a middle half spanning 6.4 (lower quartile) and 16 µg/kg (upper quartile).1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → For cadmium in root Vegetable Purees, as sold, the reference median was 9.05 µg/kg, with a middle half from 4.4 to 23 µg/kg across 22 units.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → For total arsenic in root Vegetable Purees, as sold, the reference median was below 3 µg/kg, with a middle half from below 3 to below 3 µg/kg across 22 units.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source →

Processing, cooking and preparation

No processing study for metals in this food is in the library yet.

Mitigation for root Vegetable Purees

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 root Vegetable Purees for metals

Results depend on the method and its reporting limit. Reporting limits for lead were 4 µg/kg where sources stated them.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → Reporting limits for cadmium were 1 µg/kg where sources stated them.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source → Reporting limits for total arsenic were 3 µg/kg where sources stated them.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead source →

A useful lot result names the form, the basis and a quantification limit well below the limit that applies.

Buying and verifying root Vegetable Purees

No maximum level for metals in root Vegetable Purees was verified from primary text for this page; buyers should confirm the limit that applies in the destination market.

Exposure from root Vegetable Purees

No source in the library converted root Vegetable Purees 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 root Vegetable Purees was decided on its content: 1 occurrence extracted, 1 record 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.

Root Vegetable Purees FAQs

What heavy metals are found in root Vegetable Purees?

The library reports lead, cadmium, total arsenic, total mercury, nickel, chromium and uranium in root Vegetable Purees, most often lead, cadmium and total arsenic.1U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2022FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsFDA Total Diet StudyRead 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.

  1. FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsU.S. Food and Drug Administration · FDA Total Diet Study · 2022 · www.fda.govDataset

Sources

Browse Root Vegetable Purees 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 root vegetable purees record in the library: 1 occurrence sources, references by form and basis, same-study contrasts.