Some heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, occur naturally in certain foods, because they are environmental pollutants in air, water and soil and enter the food supply when plants take them up as they grow and therefore are heavily regulated. Regulatory bodies around the world have set maximum limits for arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in different food groups such as meat, fish, seafood, cereals, vegetables, fruits and products containing fats and oils, milk, baby food and infant formulae as well as feed, soil and clinical samples. We are the National Reference Laboratory for Heavy Metals.

Heavy Metals and Nitrogen Compounds in Food and Feed NRL

The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2013 make enforcement measures provision for European Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs and Regulation (EC) No 333/2007 prescribes the methods to be used for sampling and analysis for enforcement purposes. For more information please follow the link below:

Dietary exposure to certain trace elements can result in toxic effects, even when present at relatively low concentrations,. There are also elements known for their beneficial properties which can be harmful if consumed in excess quantities with symptoms that can include liver function complications, thyroid issues and many more. Their appearance within foodstuffs may occur due to their presence in the environment, the result of poor production practices, or poor quality control procedures.

Fera’s innovative analysis techniques can provide the data required to scrutinise your production methods, resulting in improved quality products offered to customers. This can have a significant positive economic impact on your business. Fera’s food testing experts are able to provide data to verify labelling claims and confirm safety, through our accurate quantitative element testing capabilities.

Full Elemental Screen

If you require a screen of 20+ elements please contact us for a discounted price.

Available Elements:

Quantitative: Ag - silver, Al - aluminium, As - arsenic, Ba - barium, Be - beryllium, Bi - bismuth, Ca - calcium, Cd - cadmium, Ce - cerium, Co - cobalt, Cr - chromium, Cs - caesium, Cu - copper, Dy - dysprosium, Er - erbium, Eu - europium, Fe - iron, Gd - gadolinium, Hg - mercury, Ho - holmium, K - potassium, La - lanthanum, Lu - lutetium, Mg - magnesium, Mn - manganese, Mo - molybdenum, Na - sodium, Nd - neodymium, Ni - nickel, P - phosphorus, Pb - lead, Pr - praseodymium, Rb - rubidium, S - sulphur, Sb - antimony, Se - selenium, Sm - samarium, Sn - tin, Sr - strontium, Tb - terbium, Tl - thallium, Tm - thulium, U - uranium, V - vanadium, Yb - ytterbium, Zn - zinc

Semi-Quantitative: Au – gold, Ga - gallium, Ge - germanium, Hf - Hafnium, Ir - Iridium, Nb - Niobium, Os - Osmium, Pd - Palladium, Pt - Platinum, Re - Rhenium, Rh - Rhodium, Ru - Ruthenium, Sc - Scandium, Si – silicon, Ta - Tantalum, Te - Tellurium, Th - Thorium, Ti - Titanium, W - Tungsten, Y – Yttrium, Zr - zirconium