Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 — Maximum Levels of Nickel in Food
Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1987 of 30 July 2024 amends 915 by inserting a new entry 3.6 (Nickel) into Section 3 of Annex I (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, 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
- 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| ae6c129 | 2026-07-01 | feat(auth): large login + role-based signup screens (design, burgundy) |