Traces of cadmium found in most Swiss foodstuffs

Levels of cadmium in chocolate vary according to where the cacao was grown Georgios Kefalas

Cadmium, a toxic and carcinogenic heavy metal found in soils, is present in our food. A study by the French-speaking Swiss Consumer Federation has detected cadmium in 67 out of 90 everyday products that were tested.

None of the products contained cadmium levels that exceeded safety standards, but it raises the question of the cumulative effect of small doses ingested over several weeks.

Cadmium occurs naturally in certain rocks and is used in agriculture through phosphate fertilisers, which increases its concentration in the soil. There is therefore a risk of consuming small amounts every day through food.

By accumulating in the body over decades, cadmium can damage the kidneys and weaken bones. This heavy metal has generated considerable controversy in France, but what about in Switzerland?

The consumer watchdog had 90 foods, including breads, pastries, potatoes, pasta, chocolate, cereals and oat flakes, that were likely to contain cadmium analysed in the laboratory.

There were no significant differences between organic and conventional foods, Swiss or foreign origin, or in price among the 67 products that tested positive for cadmium.

Higher chocolate limit

Among all the products examined, the laboratory detected a maximum cadmium content of 0.36 mg/kg in one of the chocolate samples, which is about ten times more than found in bread, pasta or potatoes.

“There are two reasons behind this,” Delphine Gilliard, a food testing scientist at the consumer federation, told Swiss public broadcaster RTS. “Firstly, the cacao tree is a plant that easily absorbs cadmium from the soil, more than oats or wheat. This is also why the legal limits for cadmium are higher for chocolate.”

“Secondly, cadmium levels are affected by the region where the cacao is grown,” she added. For example, there is more cadmium in American soils than in African soils. Unfortunately, the origin is not often indicated on chocolate packages.”

Organic food affected

Furthermore, the laboratory found three times more cadmium in potatoes than in toast (0.042 mg/kg versus 0.015 mg/kg). “Potatoes grow directly in the soil. The tubers therefore accumulate more cadmium than wheat, which absorbs cadmium through its roots. Only a small portion is transferred to the grains,” said Gilliard.

Another surprising find was the organic products contained as much cadmium as non-organic.

“Often in organic farming, phosphate fertilisers are not used, even if they are permitted,” said Gilliard. “That said, concentration levels remain low. The similar concentration of cadmium in organic and conventional farming raises further questions about the natural concentration of cadmium in soils or put there by phosphate fertilisers.”

“This requires further analysis and research. The good news is that two packages of Swiss organic oats contained the least cadmium in their category,” she added.

Translated from German, sub-edited by Matthew Allen/sb