Pain et al. 2023 — Lead in commercial pheasant-based dogfood, UK
Lead concentrations in raw minced pheasant dogfood purchased from three UK online retailers in 2022 were dramatically elevated, with a weighted mean of 220.99 ppm dry weight (d.w.) across 81 samples known or assumed to be shot-free — 34 times higher than the mean in pheasant meat sold for human consumption (6.46 ppm d.w.) over the same shooting seasons. A total of 77% of raw pheasant dogfood samples exceeded the EU maximum residue level (MRL) for lead in animal feed (11.36 ppm d.w. for complementary/animal feed; 5.68 ppm d.w. for complete feed). Processed tinned pheasant dogfood (0.65 ppm d.w.) and chicken-based products (0.09–0.46 ppm d.w.) did not exceed the MRL, consistent with processing removing or distributing lead fragments from ammunition.
Key numbers
Dogfood products analysed: 8 product types, n = 193 packages total. Raw pheasant products (n = 90 packages from three products): weighted mean Pb 220.99 ppm d.w. (95% CI 78.84–421.14 ppm d.w.) in shot-free samples; full-sample mean including shot-contaminated packages was 1,159.92 ppm d.w. (SE 379.52). Dried pheasant/partridge sticks (n = 30): mean 30.79 ppm d.w. Processed tinned pheasant/goose (n = 30): mean 0.65 ppm d.w. Raw chicken (n = 12): mean 0.09 ppm d.w.
EU MRL exceedance rates: 66.7% (PM1), 63.3% (PM2), 100% (PM3) for three raw pheasant products; 0% for processed tinned pheasant or any chicken product.
Pheasant meat for human consumption (n = 74 samples, three UK retailers): mean 6.46 ppm d.w.; 69% exceeded the EU MRL for domestic animal muscle (0.307 ppm d.w. equivalent).
Radio-dense objects detected by X-ray in 86.7% (PM1), 73.3% (PM2), 100% (PM3) of raw pheasant packages. 10% of raw pheasant samples contained embedded shot at the point of analysis even after macroscopic removal attempts.
Analysis by ICP-OES (Agilent 5900); LOD 0.180 ppm d.w. (0.058 ppm w.w.). Moisture factor: 1 ppm w.w. = approximately 2.76 ppm d.w. for raw pheasant products.
Methods (brief)
Subsamples (~30 g pooled from 6 random positions per package) were macroscopically cleared of visible shot, dried to constant mass, milled, and digested in nitric acid before ICP-OES analysis. Products tested included three raw pheasant products, one dried pheasant/partridge product, two processed (tinned/pouched) products, and three chicken-based products for comparison. Two-dimensional X-ray imaging preceded chemical analysis to count whole shot and fragments. A two-group log-normal model was applied to account for bimodal lead distributions in raw products caused by shot-containing outliers.
Implications
Certification: Directly relevant to HMT&C scope for pet food categories; establishes that lead contamination from ammunition in raw game pet food reaches concentrations 20–200x above regulated limits for domestic animal meat sold for human consumption. The processing step (tinning/pasteurisation) eliminates the contamination signal, which is important context for supply-chain risk assessment of processed vs. raw animal proteins.
Courses: Illustrates the ammunition-to-food-chain pathway for lead as a mechanism distinct from soil or industrial contamination. Relevant for modules on game meat as a dietary lead exposure route.
App: Not directly applicable (pet food excluded from app scope), but informs game-meat contamination profiles relevant to any ingredient-mapping logic covering pheasant or wild game.