Metals and other elements in offal and offal products

The Food Standards Agency has conducted a survey of metals and other elements in offal and offal products. A total of 165 samples were analysed for aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, thallium and zinc.

The aim of this survey was to provide up-to-date information on the concentrations of metals and other elements in offal and offal products, and to allow more accurate and detailed dietary intake estimates of metals and other elements by consumers of offal and offal products. The samples were also analysed for dioxins and PCB and these results are reported separately in Food Survey Information Sheet 15/06.

A total of 165 samples of offal and offal products were analysed for aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, thallium and zinc. Samples included 70 liver, 23 kidney, 21 p
t
, 16 tongue, 8 heart, 8 black pudding, 7 haggis, and 12 other products, such as tripe, sweetbread, chitterling and throatbread.

Samples of offal and offal products were collected from a range of retail outlets including supermarkets, smaller shops and specialist retailers from across the UK. A total of 101 samples were collected in England, 28 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and 14 in Northern Ireland.

Elevated levels of copper and iron were found in some liver samples. However, estimated dietary exposure to these products does not raise concerns for consumers� safety.

Inorganic environmental contaminants, such as heavy metals, are present in food accidentally as a result of human activity or from natural sources. These contaminants may be introduced at any point along the food chain. In many cases, food is the main source of consumer exposure to inorganic contaminants, although other routes can also be significant, such as inhalation or drinking water. Metals tend to accumulate in animals� livers and kidneys, with the result being that these foods normally contain higher concentrations of these metals than other foods.

The offal food group is defined as the organs inside an animal, such as brain, kidney, liver, heart and tongue, which are often eaten as food. On average, offal is eaten in small quantities compared with other foods, and does not make a large contribution to average dietary intakes of metals in the population as a whole.

In the most recent FSA Total Diet Survey, the offal food group had the highest concentrations of copper, lead and selenium, and the second highest concentrations of cadmium and zinc. A previous survey of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc in offals was carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in 1998. All metal concentrations found were below legal limits for all samples. Legal limits have been lowered since this survey.

All samples were checked for compliance against limits laid down in the UK Arsenic in Food Regulations 1959 and Commission Regulation 466/2001 (as amended by Commission Regulation 221/2002), which sets maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. These regulations set maximum limits for lead and cadmium. Only one sample of ox kidney was above the limit for lead. Sample results were also used in a food safety risk assessment for consumers of offal and offal products.