EU Regulation 2023/915 — Lead Maximum Levels for Infant and Young-Child Foods
Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets enforceable maximum levels for lead in foods placed on the EU market. HMI stores these values in ppb for comparison against FDA action levels, Prop 65 exposure screens, and occurrence findings, while preserving the EU legal basis.
| Product scope | EU lead maximum level | HMI ppb value | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant formulae, follow-on formulae, and young-child formulae placed on the market as powder | 0.020 mg/kg | 20 ppb | Product as placed on the market |
| Infant formulae, follow-on formulae, and young-child formulae placed on the market as liquid | 0.010 mg/kg | 10 ppb | Product as placed on the market |
| Drinks for infants and young children placed on the market and labelled as such, including fruit juices | 0.020 mg/kg | 20 ppb | Ready-to-use product |
| Baby food and processed cereal-based food for infants and young children, except infant/young-child drinks | 0.020 mg/kg | 20 ppb | Product as placed on the market |
Interpretation
The EU lead entries do not split formula by soy versus non-soy and do not split baby cereals or snacks by rice versus non-rice. For HMTc standards work, this means the EU value is a broad legal ceiling or regulatory cap candidate, not evidence that a category’s clean or typical occurrence level is 20 ppb.
For fruit juice, the 20 ppb value applies when the product is placed on the market and labelled as a drink for infants or young children. Ordinary fruit juices outside that infant/young-child scope have separate EU lead maximum levels and should not be silently mapped to this row.