Lead in bran probe launched by New Zealand

The body made the announcement as it released the second quarter results for its Total Diet Study – which puts more than 120 commonly eaten foods into the lab to assess dietary exposure to residues of chemical residues, contaminants and selected nutrients. Overall, the NZFSA said it had no concerns over chemical residues in the country’s food supply after all but two of 60,000 analyses from 123 food types were given the all clear.

But safety officials confirmed a probe would be launched after similarly high lead levels were detected in bread in the survey’s first quarter findings.

Project manger Cherie Flynn said: “Because lead was detected in two grain-based products, we will be including wheat in the Food Residues Surveillance Programme (FRSP) that we carry out towards the end of this year.”

The food watchdog stressed the issue did not pose a health risk.

“Even if the bran cereal was the only cereal a person was eating it would only amount to between three and 12% of the provisionally tolerable weekly intake for lead,” said Flynn.

A similar investigation would also be carried out after a number of domestic and Italian produced tomato-in-juice products were non-compliant.