Scope
PNS/BAFS 194:2017 provides maximum levels for contaminants and natural toxins in primary and postharvest agriculture and fishery commodities applicable in trade. The standard states that it does not apply to processed products. Feed is included only where a feed contaminant can transfer to food of animal origin and be relevant for public health.
HMI records the metal maximum-level tables for inorganic arsenic, cadmium, lead, and methylmercury.
Exact limit and units
Tables 7 through 10 state limits in mg/kg; HMI stores them as ug/kg.
| Species | Matrix | Source limit | Structured value |
|---|---|---|---|
| iAs | Husked rice | 0.35 mg/kg | 350 ug/kg |
| iAs | Polished rice | 0.2 mg/kg | 200 ug/kg |
| Cd | Brassica vegetables; bulb vegetables; fruiting vegetables; leafy vegetables; legume vegetables; pulses; root and tuber vegetables; stalk and stem vegetables; cereal grains; polished rice; wheat; marine bivalve molluscs; cephalopods | 0.05 to 2 mg/kg | 50 to 2000 ug/kg |
| Pb | Berries and other small fruits; cranberry; currants; elderberry; fruits; Brassica vegetables; bulb vegetables; fruiting vegetables; leafy vegetables; legume vegetables; pulses; root and tuber vegetables; cereal grains; meats; edible offal; milk; fish | 0.02 to 0.5 mg/kg | 20 to 500 ug/kg |
| MeHg | Fish | 0.5 mg/kg | 500 ug/kg |
| MeHg | Predatory fish | 1 mg/kg | 1000 ug/kg |
The structured register contains each numeric commodity row separately, including source exclusions such as cadmium not applying to tomatoes, edible fungi, soya bean, celeriac, oysters, or scallops where the standard says so.
How tested
Table 7 allows inorganic arsenic compliance in rice to be screened by analyzing total arsenic. If total arsenic is below the inorganic arsenic maximum level, no further testing is required; if total arsenic is above the inorganic arsenic maximum level, follow-up testing must determine whether inorganic arsenic exceeds the maximum level.
Section 5 states that methods of analysis and sampling should conform to Codex STAN 193-1995 or procedures applicable to the competent authority.
Enforcement posture
The source is a Philippine National Standard intended to provide contaminant maximum levels applicable in trade. HMI records the rows as national maximum levels from a government standard, while preserving that the foreword describes the standard as guidance and a modified Codex adoption rather than a standalone statute.
History of changes
The standard is PNS/BAFS 194:2017. Its foreword states that a technical working group was created under Special Order No. 316 Series of 2016 and that the standard is a modified adoption of Codex STAN 193-1995, amended 2016. No exact effective date is stated in the captured PDF.
How it compares
PNS/BAFS 194:2017 largely tracks Codex contaminant structure for primary and postharvest commodities, with Philippines-specific adoption framing. Downstream comparisons should keep its scope narrower than broad processed-food regulations: the standard itself says it does not apply to processed products.
Sources
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.
| Commit | Date | Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| a8052bb | 2026-08-09 | major | 1 source added; contamination-profile values revised; 7 sections added |