Source Role
Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 is the EU’s central maximum-level regulation for contaminants in food. It repealed Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 and consolidates maximum levels for mycotoxins, plant toxins, metals and other elements, persistent organic pollutants, processing contaminants, and other contaminants.
For Heavy Metal Index, this is a primary regulatory source. It supplies enforceable EU maximum levels for lead, cadmium, mercury, inorganic arsenic, total arsenic in salt, and inorganic tin. The extracted rows are regulatory comparison values, not HMTc certification thresholds.
Legal Character
This regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in EU Member States. Its maximum levels are not framed like FDA nonbinding guidance action levels. Article 2 prohibits placing covered food on the market, using it as a raw material or ingredient, or mixing it with compliant food where the contaminant exceeds the Annex I maximum level.
Article 3 is especially important for standards work. When a dried, diluted, processed, or compound food lacks its own specific EU maximum level, concentration, dilution, processing factors, ingredient proportions, and analytical limits must be considered. If a food business operator cannot justify the factor, the competent authority may define one using available information and the objective of maximum protection of human health.
Selected rice provisions, consolidation 19 August 2026
The dated consolidated text gives cadmium at 0.15 mg/kg for rice (3.2.12.3). Inorganic arsenic entries distinguish non-parboiled white rice (0.15), parboiled/husked rice and flour (0.25), rice destined for infant/young-child foods (0.10), and rice-based drinks (0.030 mg/kg; 3.4.1.1–3.4.1.6).
Nickel entries 3.6.11.2–3.6.11.3 specify 1.5 mg/kg for rice other than husked rice and 2.0 mg/kg for husked rice from 1 July 2026. Article 10 preserves the stated transition for food already lawfully marketed. Article 2(3) supplies the default marketed-food basis; Article 3 addresses processing factors where no specific maximum exists. These selected provisions do not constitute a complete compliance assessment.
HMTc Interpretation
HMTc standards development should preserve legal-status labels rather than flattening every value into a single “limit” column.
| Source type | How HMI should label it | Standards use |
|---|---|---|
| EU 2023/915 maximum level | Binding EU maximum level | External legal ceiling and matrix-specific benchmark. |
| FDA Closer to Zero action level | Nonbinding final guidance action level, enforcement-relevant | U.S. federal policy benchmark; not a statutory maximum level. |
| Codex maximum level | International food standard | Trade and harmonization benchmark; legal force depends on adopting jurisdiction. |
| HMTc candidate threshold | Private certification/standards-development value | Must be justified independently from field findings, toxicology, feasibility, and legal context. |
The existence of this EU framework strengthens the case that a program like HMTc is critical. The legal landscape is fragmented: the EU has binding matrix-specific maximum levels, FDA often has nonbinding action levels, Codex has international standards, and field findings are reported on inconsistent product bases. HMTc can make those distinctions visible, preserve basis/species comparability, and develop standards without implying that external regulatory values are themselves HMTc pass/fail values.
Selected Heavy-Metal Rows Extracted
The full Annex I covers many contaminants. HMI extracts the rows most relevant to heavy-metal product and ingredient pages.
| Annex section | Metal/species | Examples routed in HMI |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Lead | Infant formula, baby food, processed cereal-based food, infant drinks, fruit juices, fish, offal, root vegetables, leafy vegetables. |
| 3.2 | Cadmium | Infant formula, baby food, processed cereal-based food, cereals, rice, root/tuber vegetables, spinach and herbs, oilseeds, cocoa/chocolate, fish, bivalve molluscs, offal. |
| 3.3 | Mercury | Fishery products, molluscs, salt, food supplements. |
| 3.4 | Inorganic arsenic and total arsenic | Rice and rice products, non-alcoholic rice-based drinks, infant formula, baby food, fruit juice, salt. |
| 3.5 | Inorganic tin | Canned food, canned beverages, canned infant formula, canned baby food, canned infant/young-child medical foods. |
Data Files Created Or Updated
- the structured evidence record now carries selected EU 2023/915 maximum-level rows normalized to
ug/kg. - the structured evidence record routes selected EU rows into formula, baby-food, cereal, juice, and rice-beverage product pages.
- EU Regulation 2023/915 maximum levels for contaminants in food is the canonical regulation hub for the extracted metal rows.
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 cadmium maximum levels is the cadmium-specific ingredient/matrix page.
Consolidation Note
The local raw PDF is the original Official Journal version supplied for ingest. EU contaminant regulations can be amended; EUR-Lex also presents consolidated versions. Current legal use should check the current EUR-Lex consolidated text before making a legal conclusion. HMI pages should keep the original PDF hash for provenance while retaining the EUR-Lex URL for current-law review.
Pages Updated
- EU Regulation 2023/915 maximum levels for contaminants in food
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 cadmium maximum levels
- EU inorganic arsenic maximum level for non-alcoholic rice-based drinks
- Regulatory Crosswalk vs Field Findings
- Formula product rows, baby-food product rows, cereal rows, fruit-juice rows, and rice-based plant milk rows through the structured evidence record
- Ingredient pages for rice, wheat, potatoes, spinach, sunflower seeds, cocoa, chocolate, fish, bivalve molluscs, wild mushrooms, and organ meats where EU 2023/915 provides matrix-specific context.
Key numbers
Selected Annex I heavy-metal maximum levels (mg/kg, wet weight unless otherwise stated). Section numbers refer to Annex I as published in OJ L 119, 5.5.2023, pp. 103–157. Values are taken from the original 2023 promulgation text; current EUR-Lex consolidated text should be checked before any legal determination.
Lead (Annex section 3.1)
| Section | Matrix | ML (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1.1.1 | Cranberries, currants, elderberries, strawberry tree fruits | 0,20 |
| 3.1.1.2 | Fruits other than 3.1.1.1 | 0,10 |
| 3.1.2.1 | Root and tuber vegetables (peeled for potatoes) except 3.1.2.2 and 3.1.2.3 | 0,10 |
| 3.1.2.2 | Fresh ginger, fresh turmeric | 0,80 |
| 3.1.2.3 | Salsify | 0,30 |
| 3.1.4.1 | Fruiting vegetables except sweetcorn | 0,050 |
| 3.1.4.2 | Sweetcorn | 0,10 |
| 3.1.11 | Cereals | 0,20 |
| 3.1.12.1 | Seed spices | 0,90 |
| 3.1.12.2 | Fruit spices | 0,60 |
| 3.1.12.3 | Bark spices | 2,0 |
| 3.1.12.4 | Root and rhizome spices | 1,50 |
| 3.1.12.5 | Bud spices | 1,0 |
| 3.1.12.6 | Flower pistil spices | 1,0 |
| 3.1.15.1 | Muscle meat of fish | 0,30 |
| 3.1.15.2 | Cephalopods | 0,30 |
| 3.1.15.3 | Crustaceans | 0,50 |
| 3.1.15.4 | Bivalve molluscs | 1,50 |
| 3.1.16 | Raw milk and heat-treated milk | 0,020 |
| 3.1.17 | Honey | 0,10 |
| 3.1.18 | Fats and oils (including milk fat) | 0,10 |
| 3.1.19.1 | Fruit juices exclusively from berries and other small fruits | 0,05 |
| 3.1.19.2 | Fruit juices other than 3.1.19.1, including mixtures | 0,03 |
| 3.1.23.1 | Salts except 3.1.23.2 | 1,0 |
| 3.1.23.2 | Fleur de sel and grey salt (manually harvested) | 2,0 |
| 3.1.24.1 | Infant/follow-on/young-child formulae — powder | 0,020 |
| 3.1.24.2 | Infant/follow-on/young-child formulae — liquid | 0,010 |
| 3.1.25.1 | Drinks for infants/young children — liquid or reconstituted | 0,020 |
| 3.1.26 | Baby food and processed cereal-based food for infants/young children | 0,020 |
| 3.1.27.1 | Food for special medical purposes for infants/young children — powder | 0,020 |
| 3.1.27.2 | Food for special medical purposes for infants/young children — liquid | 0,010 |
| 3.1.28 | Food supplements | 3,0 |
Cadmium (Annex section 3.2)
| Section | Matrix | ML (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.2.1.1 | Fruits except 3.2.1.2–3.2.1.4 | 0,050 |
| 3.2.1.2 | Citrus fruits, pome fruits, stone fruits, table olives, kiwi, bananas, mangoes, papayas, pineapples | 0,020 |
| 3.2.2.1 | Root and tuber vegetables except 3.2.2.2–3.2.2.6 | 0,10 |
| 3.2.6.1 | Leaf vegetables except 3.2.6.2 | 0,10 |
| 3.2.6.2 | Spinaches and similar leaves, mustard seedlings, fresh herbs | 0,20 |
| 3.2.11.3 | Peanuts and soy beans | 0,20 |
| 3.2.11.5 | Linseeds and sunflower seeds | 0,50 |
| 3.2.12.1 | Cereals except 3.2.12.2–3.2.12.5 | 0,10 |
| 3.2.12.3 | Rice, quinoa, wheat bran and wheat gluten | 0,15 |
| 3.2.12.4 | Durum wheat (Triticum durum) | 0,18 |
| 3.2.12.5 | Wheat germ | 0,20 |
| 3.2.14.1 | Muscle meat of fish except 3.2.14.2–3.2.14.4 | 0,050 |
| 3.2.14.6 | Bivalve molluscs | 1,0 |
| 3.2.14.7 | Cephalopods | 1,0 |
| 3.2.15.1 | Milk chocolate with < 30 % total dry cocoa solids | 0,10 |
| 3.2.15.2 | Chocolate with < 50 % total dry cocoa solids; milk chocolate with ≥ 30 % total dry cocoa solids | 0,30 |
| 3.2.15.3 | Chocolate with ≥ 50 % total dry cocoa solids | 0,80 |
| 3.2.15.4 | Cocoa powder for final consumer or as ingredient in drinking chocolate | 0,60 |
| 3.2.16 | Salt | 0,50 |
| 3.2.17.1 | Infant/follow-on formulae and FSMP for infants/young children — powder, cow’s-milk-protein based | 0,010 |
| 3.2.17.2 | Infant/follow-on formulae and FSMP for infants/young children — liquid, cow’s-milk-protein based | 0,005 |
| 3.2.17.3 | Infant/follow-on formulae and FSMP for infants/young children — powder, soy-protein-isolate based | 0,020 |
| 3.2.17.4 | Infant/follow-on formulae and FSMP for infants/young children — liquid, soy-protein-isolate based | 0,010 |
| 3.2.19.1 | Drinks for infants/young children — liquid or reconstituted | 0,020 |
| 3.2.20 | Baby food and processed cereal-based food for infants/young children | 0,040 |
| 3.2.21.1 | Food supplements except 3.2.21.2 | 1,0 |
| 3.2.21.2 | Food supplements ≥ 80 % from dried seaweed, seaweed-derived products, or dried bivalve molluscs | 3,0 |
Mercury (Annex section 3.3, expressed as total mercury)
| Section | Matrix | ML (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.3.1.1 | Crustaceans, molluscs and muscle meat of fish except 3.3.1.2 and 3.3.1.3 | 0,50 |
| 3.3.1.2 | Muscle meat of listed predatory species (e.g., tuna, swordfish, shark, marlin, halibut, pike) | 1,0 |
| 3.3.1.3 | Cephalopods, marine gastropods, muscle meat of listed lower-mercury fish (anchovy, Atlantic cod, herring, mackerel, sardine, salmon/trout, plaice, sole, etc.) | 0,30 |
| 3.3.2 | Food supplements | 0,10 |
| 3.3.3 | Salt | 0,10 |
Arsenic — inorganic (Annex section 3.4)
| Section | Matrix | iAs ML (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.4.1.1 | Non-parboiled milled rice (polished/white) | 0,15 |
| 3.4.1.2 | Parboiled rice and husked rice | 0,25 |
| 3.4.1.3 | Rice flour | 0,25 |
| 3.4.1.4 | Rice waffles, wafers, crackers, cakes, flakes and popped breakfast rice | 0,30 |
| 3.4.1.5 | Rice destined for the production of food for infants and young children | 0,10 |
| 3.4.1.6 | Non-alcoholic rice-based drinks | 0,030 |
| 3.4.2.1 | Infant/follow-on formulae and FSMP for infants/young children — powder | 0,020 |
| 3.4.2.2 | Infant/follow-on formulae and FSMP for infants/young children — liquid | 0,010 |
| 3.4.3 | Baby food | 0,020 |
| 3.4.4 | Fruit juices, concentrated fruit juices as reconstituted, fruit nectars | 0,020 |
Arsenic — total (Annex section 3.4)
| Section | Matrix | tAs ML (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.4.5 | Salt | 0,50 |
Tin (inorganic) (Annex section 3.5)
| Section | Matrix | Sn ML (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5.1 | Canned food except 3.5.2–3.5.5 | 200 |
| 3.5.2 | Canned beverages (including fruit and vegetable juices) | 100 |
| 3.5.3 | Canned infant/follow-on/young-child formulae (except canned dried/powdered) | 50 |
| 3.5.4 | Canned baby food and canned processed cereal-based food for infants/young children (except canned dried/powdered) | 50 |
| 3.5.5 | Canned food for special medical purposes for infants/young children (except canned dried/powdered) | 50 |
Decimal commas are preserved from the source. Wet-weight basis applies unless the row remark states otherwise; rice/spice/cereal rows are on the placed-on-market basis. Article 3 governs how these levels apply to dried, diluted, processed, or compound foods that lack their own row.
Sources
- European Commission. 2023. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006.
- European Commission contaminants legislation page, which identifies Regulation (EU) 2023/915 as the maximum-level framework for contaminants in food.
Update history
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