Overview
Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 of 30 July 2024 amends Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 by inserting a new entry 3.6 (Nickel) into Section 3 of Annex I (Reg. (EU) 2024/1987). It is the binding instrument that, for the first time, sets harmonised European Union maximum levels for nickel in food. Recital 8 states the rationale directly: “Maximum levels for nickel in food should therefore be set to ensure a high level of human health protection.” The scientific basis is the EFSA 2020 update of the nickel risk assessment (TDI 13 µg/kg bw, exceeded in toddlers and young children; acute margin of exposure not met for the ~15 % of the population that is nickel-sensitised).
The levels are codified in Regulation (EU) 2023/915, so the current consolidated text of 2023/915 is where a compliance check is run; this page records the amending instrument that placed them there. Earlier HMI pages inferred the levels’ existence from recital 7 of the companion monitoring act, Recommendation (EU) 2024/907 (22 March 2024); that recommendation predates this regulation by four months and is the precursor/companion monitoring instrument, not the source of the binding levels.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Instrument | Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 |
| Type | Binding regulation amending Reg (EU) 2023/915 (Art. 2(3) Reg (EEC) No 315/93) |
| Adopted | 30 July 2024 (OJ L, 31.7.2024) |
| Applies from | 1 July 2025 (all entry-3.6 nickel rows except cereals); 1 July 2026 (cereals, points 3.6.11.1–3.6.11.5) |
| Transitional | Food lawfully placed on the market before the date of application may remain until its date of minimum durability or use-by date |
| Coverage | Tree nuts, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, seaweed, cereals, cocoa and chocolate, infant and young-child formulae, processed cereal-based baby food, baby food, fruit/vegetable juices |
| Range | 0.10 mg/kg (liquid infant formula) to 40 mg/kg (wakame) |
| Scientific basis | EFSA 2020 (EFSA Journal 2020;18(11):6268) |
| Companion act | Monitoring Recommendation (EU) 2024/907 for foods lacking sufficient occurrence data |
Selected nickel maximum levels
Full table on Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 of 30 July 2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/915 as regards maximum levels of nickel in certain foodstuffs. HMTc-relevant rows (Annex I entry 3.6, mg/kg, as written):
| Food category | Ni ML (mg/kg) | Normalized (µg/kg) | Applies from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant/young-child formula, liquid (3.6.13.3) | 0.10 | 100 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Infant/young-child formula, powder (3.6.13.1) | 0.25 | 250 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Infant/young-child formula, powder, soy-protein-isolate (3.6.13.2) | 0.40 | 400 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Baby food except juices (3.6.15) | 0.50 | 500 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Processed cereal-based food for infants/young children (3.6.14) | 3.0 | 3000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Fruit/vegetable juices, general (3.6.16.1) | 0.25 | 250 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Milk chocolate < 30 % cocoa solids (3.6.12.1) | 2.5 | 2500 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Milk chocolate ≥ 30 % and chocolate (3.6.12.2) | 7.0 | 7000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Cocoa powder / drinking chocolate (3.6.12.3) | 15 | 15000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Pulses, general (3.6.9.1) | 4.0 | 4000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Dry beans and dry lupins (3.6.9.2) | 12 | 12000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Legume vegetables, general (3.6.6.1) | 1.0 | 1000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Soy beans (3.6.10.3) | 15 | 15000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Peanuts (3.6.10.2) | 12 | 12000 | 1 Jul 2025 |
| Cereals, general (3.6.11.1) | 0.80 | 800 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Oats, grains without husk (3.6.11.5) | 5.0 | 5000 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Husked rice (3.6.11.3) | 2.0 | 2000 | 1 Jul 2026 |
Compound foods that are not a listed category are governed by Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2023/915 (ingredient proportions, processing factors), not by a single finished-product nickel level.
Sources
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 — primary Official Journal text, full Annex transcribed, ingested 2026-06-22.
- EFSA Ni 2020 — the risk assessment the regulation recites.
- EU Regulation 2023/915 maximum levels for contaminants in food — the framework regulation these levels are codified into.
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/907 on the monitoring of nickel in food — the companion monitoring recommendation.
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.
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 of 30 July 2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/915 as regards maximum levels of nickel in certain foodstuffsRegulation
- Update of the Risk Assessment of Nickel in Food and Drinking WaterGovernment
Update history
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