Strawberries

Overview

FSA/Fera measured this ingredient or non-infant-specific food composite in Table 6 of the FS102048 survey. Exact concentration values remain in progress until Table 6 is parsed into structured ingredient rows with less-than and semi-quantitative flags preserved. Survey of metals in commercial infant foods, infant formula and non-infant specific foods

Why this commodity accumulates heavy metals

Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa and related species) are a low-accumulation fruit for heavy metals under normal agricultural conditions. The aerial fruiting structure of the strawberry plant develops above the soil surface and receives metals primarily through translocation from root to above-ground tissues, rather than through direct soil contact. This distinguishes strawberries from root vegetables and tubers, which grow embedded in soil and accumulate metals much more efficiently. Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in soil solution are taken up by strawberry roots to a degree proportional to soil metal bioavailability and plant uptake efficiency; however, the translocation factor for both metals from root to berry is low, meaning only a small fraction of the metal absorbed at the root reaches the edible fruit. Pb in particular is largely immobilized at the root surface and in root tissue, with minimal transport to above-ground parts. A secondary contamination pathway specific to soft fruits like strawberries is surface deposition: dust, soil particles, and atmospheric Pb can deposit on the berry surface, particularly in areas with legacy soil Pb contamination from leaded fuel combustion or agricultural Pb arsenate applications. Washing before consumption removes a portion of surface contamination. The FDA TDS FY2018-FY2020 data for strawberries (n=27 composite samples) show Pb below detection in all 27 composites; Cd was detected in most samples with a median of 8.5 ppb and a maximum of 34 ppb; no Pb was detected FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical Results. The modest Cd values reflect strawberry cultivation in soils that may carry background Cd from agricultural inputs, while Pb non-detection is consistent with the low translocation and surface-bound character of Pb in this matrix.

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.

Synthesis basis and censoring treatment

The earlier profile carried strawberry lead, total mercury, and chromium at [0, 0] with a p95 of 0. Those zeros were an artifact of the FDA Total Diet Study reporting the 27 strawberry samples below their reporting limits (lead below 4 ppb, total mercury below 1 ppb, chromium below 50 ppb) as literal zeros (FDA 2022). Each cell is now treated as left-censored at its reporting limit, with dry-weight sources converted to fresh weight using the strawberry edible fraction of 0.09.

Fresh-weight surveys show these metals are consistently detectable. Lee et al. 2023 reported strawberry lead at a mean of 6 ppb, Mania et al. 2021 fresh berries lead at 8 to 17 ppb with a P90 of 26 to 38 and mercury at a middle-bound mean of 0.4 to 2.1 ppb, Rusin et al. 2021 Polish fresh strawberry lead at a mean of 9 ppb (max 27), and Bora et al. 2022 Romanian strawberry lead near 10 to 11 ppb. For chromium, Reczajska et al. 2005 measured total chromium directly in 42 Polish strawberries at a mean of 32 ppb, median 28, P90 56, and maximum 134 ppb fresh weight, corroborated by the Lee fruit chromium near 31 ppb. Elevated allotment-garden lead from Sembratowicz et al. 2010 is carried as a tail; chromium values are total chromium, not Cr-VI.

Routing

This node is linked from the ingredient index and source routing list.

Contamination Profile State

Per-analyte state — populated, in progress, or declared data gap — is carried authoritatively in the machine-readable contamination_profile frontmatter and the contamination-profile table above. Ingredient-level values belong here; finished-product values belong on the relevant product-category page.

FDA TDS FY2018-FY2020 Evidence

FDA’s FY2018-FY2020 Total Diet Study dataset includes this page’s routed matrix as TDS Food 86, “Strawberry, raw/frozen.” The normalized row-level data is stored in data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_element_results_samples.csv, with per-food/per-analyte summaries in data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_summary_by_food_analyte.csv. Concentrations are retained as FDA reported them, with reporting limits preserved separately; reported zeroes are not rewritten as <LOD without a source-specific rule. FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical Results

FDA TDS FY2018-FY2020 Occurrence Values

FDA Total Diet Study FY2018-FY2020 reports prepared/composite-food concentration distributions for this ingredient as TDS food “Strawberry, raw/frozen” (FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical Results). Values are in ppb-equivalent on the basis FDA reported. The full sample-level data are stored in data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_element_results_samples.csv; per-analyte distributions in data/evidence/fda_tds_fy2018_2020_summary_by_food_analyte.csv. These distributions count as one source under Persistent Wiki Ingest Rule synthesis discipline; numerical values stay in body scratch until a second independent source is integrated.

Ranges by source, region, and variety

The Cd content of strawberries varies with soil Cd loading in the production region and with soil pH, which governs Cd bioavailability. Strawberries grown on soils with elevated Cd from historical phosphate fertilizer applications in northern and western Europe show higher Cd than berries grown on lower-Cd soils in North America, southern Europe, or Australia. The FSA/Fera FS102048 survey provides UK market-basket data for strawberries; US market data are available from the FDA TDS FY2018-FY2020 dataset (Cd p50 of 8.5 ppb, max 34 ppb, n=27 composites) FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical Results. Organic versus conventional production shows minimal difference for Cd (because Cd is soil-derived regardless of agricultural system) but may show modest Pb differences in areas with legacy surface contamination, as organic management may involve less soil disturbance and different irrigation practices. Variety-level differences in Cd accumulation within strawberry species exist but are secondary to soil and management factors in commercial production. Geographic source variation will be more precisely characterized as additional occurrence surveys from European and other international markets are ingested.

Processing effects

Strawberries in retail commerce are sold fresh or frozen; in processed form they appear as purees, jams, freeze-dried powder, and flavoring ingredients. The key processing effect for metal content is the change in moisture state. Fresh strawberries contain approximately 90 percent water by weight. Freezing does not alter metal content. Producing strawberry puree from fresh or frozen berries does not remove metals; the puree retains the full metal load of the input fruit. Drying or freeze-drying concentrates metals in proportion to water removal: freeze-dried strawberry powder at approximately 5 percent moisture contains approximately eighteen times the metal concentration per gram as the fresh fruit on a wet-weight basis. Jam production involves cooking with added sugar, which dilutes the metal concentration relative to the input fruit fraction; the metal content of jam on a per-gram basis is lower than the input puree in proportion to the sugar dilution factor. Washing fresh strawberries before processing removes surface-deposited dust and Pb, but does not affect internally translocated Cd. Industrial wash steps are standard in processing lines.

Ingredient-derivative risk

Strawberry puree and concentrate are used extensively in dairy products, beverages, baby food, and confectionery. In baby food formulations incorporating strawberry puree at meaningful inclusion levels, the Cd contribution from the berry fraction is the primary metal of concern from this ingredient, though at typical inclusion levels and the modest Cd values documented in the TDS data, the contribution is small relative to higher-risk ingredients. Freeze-dried strawberry powder used in snack coatings, cereal products, and supplement blends carries a substantially higher per-gram Cd load than fresh fruit due to moisture concentration and merits specific assessment when used at significant inclusion levels in products for children. Strawberry flavoring extracts used at very low inclusion levels do not contribute meaningful metal loads.

Mitigation options

Sourcing levers

Specifying strawberry origin from low-Cd-soil production regions reduces Cd in the finished ingredient. For processed strawberry products (puree, freeze-dried powder) used in products marketed to infants or young children, supplier COAs with ICP-MS Cd results provide the necessary lot-level verification. Given the relatively modest Cd values in US market data, sourcing from US growers rather than high-Cd European regions may be a relevant lever for manufacturers seeking to minimize Cd in sensitive products.

Agronomic levers

Soil pH management (maintaining above 6.5) reduces Cd bioavailability to strawberry plants. Strawberries are typically grown on slightly acidic to neutral soils; liming programs where soil pH is low can reduce Cd uptake. Limiting phosphate fertilizer applications from high-Cd-rock sources is a recognized prevention strategy. No quantified reduction magnitude data for strawberry Cd from agronomic interventions is available in the current corpus; section will be expanded when relevant evidence is ingested.

Processing levers

Thorough washing of fresh strawberries before processing removes surface-bound Pb from atmospheric deposition. This is standard practice and has documented effectiveness for surface contamination but does not affect internally translocated Cd. For products sold as washed fresh strawberries, consumer washing provides a similar benefit.

Formulation levers

For products targeting infants and young children that use strawberry as a flavoring ingredient, using strawberry extract or flavoring at low inclusion levels rather than puree at high inclusion levels reduces the absolute metal contribution from this ingredient. Diluting freeze-dried strawberry powder in multi-ingredient formulations proportionally reduces its metal contribution.

Testing and QC levers

For freeze-dried strawberry powder used in products for young children, lot-level Cd testing by ICP-MS is warranted given the concentration effect of drying. For fresh or frozen strawberries in the food service supply chain, periodic surveillance testing is sufficient given the modest and consistent values in market-basket data.

Packaging and storage levers

No quantified data on packaging or storage effects on strawberry metal content in the current corpus; section will be expanded when relevant evidence is ingested.

Regulatory limits that apply

Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as amended (see EU Regulation 2023/915 maximum levels for contaminants in food), strawberries fall within the berries and small fruits category. The applicable Pb maximum level is 0.10 mg/kg (100 ppb) wet weight, and the Cd maximum level is 0.050 mg/kg (50 ppb) wet weight. The FDA does not publish a specific action level for Pb or Cd in strawberries; the general tolerance framework under 21 CFR applies. The Closer to Zero program (see FDA Closer to Zero — Program Overview) addresses Pb reduction in foods for babies and young children broadly, and strawberry purees used in infant and toddler food formulations fall within scope of the CTZ reduction goals even where no berry-specific numerical limit currently exists.

References

Works cited in this page’s text, in first-appearance order. This is not the full corpus for this page; it is only what the prose above draws on. The complete set of sources is listed under Sources below. Each title links to its source record, which carries the ingest receipt, the extracted values, and the file hash of the document it was built from.

1. Survey of metals in commercial infant foods, infant formula and non-infant specific foodsFood Standards Agency / Fera Science Ltd · UK Food Standards Agency report FS102048 · 2016 · www.food.gov.ukGovernment
2. FY2018-FY2020 TDS Elements Analytical ResultsU.S. Food and Drug Administration · FDA Total Diet Study · 2022 · www.fda.govDataset
3. Occurrence and health risk assessment of antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, nickel, and lead in fresh fruits consumed in South KoreaLee J, Hwang I, Park YS, and Lee DY · Applied Biological Chemistry · 2023 · doi.org/10.1186/s13765-023-00799-xReview
4. The content of lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and tin in fruit and their products based on monitoring studies – exposure assessmentMania M, Rebeniak M, Chabros E, Orshulyak O, and Postupolski J · Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny (Annals of the National Institute of Hygiene) · 2021 · doi.org/10.32394/rpzh.2021.0188Review
5. Concentration of cadmium and lead in vegetables and fruitsRusin M, Domagalska J, Rogala D, Razzaghi M, and Szymala I · Scientific Reports · 2021 · doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91554-zReview
6. Quantification and Reduction in Heavy Metal Residues in Some Fruits and Vegetables: A Case Study Galați County, RomaniaBora FD, Bunea A, Pop SR, Banita SI, Dusa DS, Chira A, et al. · Horticulturae · 2022 · doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8111034Review
7. Determination of Chromium Content of Food and Beverages of Plant OriginReczajska W, Jedrzejczak R, and Szteke B · Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences · 2005Review
8. Contents of Nitrates (III) and (V), Lead and Cadmium in Select Domestic FruitsSembratowicz I, Rusinek E, and Ognik K · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · 2010Review

Sources

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Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and 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.