Heavy metals in food databaseOtherChecked 2026.10.03
Canned fruit: lead
In MAFF surveys, lead in canned fruit fell significantly from an average of 0.06 and a maximum of 0.19 mg/kg in 2013 to an average of 0.02 and a maximum of 0.06 mg/kg in 2016. The cause is thought to be lead present as an impurity in the tin-plated steel used for cans, and voluntary reductions on the steelmaking side are said to have worked. 98% of Japanese tin intake comes from fruit (canned) and vegetables (such as bamboo shoots).
Levels measured in Japanese government surveys and studies
| Metal | Form / state | Mean | Range / max | Samples | Survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | Total lead, canned fruit | 0.02 (median 0.01) | max 0.06 | 120 samples (31 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2016 |
| Lead | Total lead, canned fruit | 0.06 (median 0.03) | max 0.19 | 103 samples (14 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2013 |
| Lead | Total lead, canned tomatoes | 0.00–0.02 | max 0.02 | 33 samples (32 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2011 |
| Lead | Total lead, canned sweet corn | 0.00–0.02 | max 0.02 | 39 samples (37 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2011 |
| Lead | Total lead, canned boiled azuki beans | 0.00–0.02 | all samples below the limit of quantification | 39 samples | MAFF, fiscal 2011 |
| Lead | Total lead, canned fish (solids) | 0.01 (median 0.01) | max 0.05 | 40 samples (15 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2020 |
| Lead | Total lead, canned fish (liquid) | 0.00–0.01 | all samples below the limit of quantification | 38 samples | MAFF, fiscal 2020 |
Units are mg/kg (= ppm). A range such as “0.00–0.02” runs from the mean with samples below the limit of quantification counted as 0 to the mean with them counted at the limit of quantification. Tin is not included in the table of measured values and is described under “Things worth knowing.”
Limits (Japan, international, EU)
| Set by | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (Food Sanitation Act) | Lead standard for canned foods: could not be confirmed / soft drinks other than mineral waters must not contain detectable lead, and those in metal containers must have tin of 150.0 ppm or less | Whether there is a tin standard for canned foods (other than beverages) is unconfirmed. For utensils and food packaging, the lead content of metal raw materials was lowered (2008 notification: tin for plating 5% → 0.1%, solder 20% → 0.2%). An MHLW notice says that cans for canned food already do not use lead solder in Japan |
| Codex (international standards) | Lead, canned fruit 0.1, canned vegetables 0.1, canned tomatoes 0.05 / tin: a Codex standard could not be confirmed | Blunden & Wallace 2003 mention 250 as a “typical recommended maximum” for tin in canned food, but the original Codex text could not be confirmed |
| EU (Regulation 2023/915) | Lead: no standard specific to canned foods (fruit 0.10) / tin: canned foods (excluding beverages) 200, canned beverages 100, canned infant formula and similar 50 mg/kg | — |
Good to know
- From 2013 to 2016, lead in canned fruit fell from an average of 0.06 to 0.02 and a maximum of 0.19 to 0.06 mg/kg (statistically significant). The 2013 survey had samples exceeding the Codex standard of 0.1, but the 2016 maximum was 0.06. There was also no tendency for lead to increase during storage.
- The cause is presumed to be leaching of lead present as an impurity in the tin-plated steel used to make cans, and steel manufacturers voluntarily reduced the lead. It is an example in which a public survey confirmed that “the industry’s countermeasures worked.”
- Japanese tin intake is 339 μg/day (2024), about 0.3% of JECFA’s tolerable intake (14 mg/kg body weight/week). 98% of it was from fruit (canned) at 199 μg/day and other vegetables and seaweeds (such as bamboo shoots) at 133 μg/day. There are large regional differences, which change with use of canned foods and bamboo shoots.
- On storage after opening, the industry group (Japan Canners Association) advises that tin cans without an inner coating (for fruit and the like) let tin dissolve more easily through contact with air if left in the can once opened, so the contents should be moved to a glass, ceramic, or plastic container and refrigerated. The group explains that “the trace amount of tin that dissolves does not accumulate in the body and is excreted, and is safe from a food hygiene standpoint” (this is the industry group’s explanation; read it separately from assessments by public bodies).
- On acute effects, a review states that gastrointestinal symptoms have been reported in some people even at 200 ppm tin or below, though the evidence is limited, and that in clinical trials gastrointestinal symptoms appeared at 700 ppm or more (Blunden & Wallace, 2003. The authors are affiliated with a tin industry association, so there may be a conflict of interest).
- For canned tomatoes, sweet corn, and boiled azuki beans (fiscal 2011), most results were below the limit of quantification, with a maximum of 0.02. For canned fish, solids had 15 of 40 samples below the limit of quantification and a maximum of 0.05, and the liquid was below the limit of quantification in every sample (fiscal 2020).
Related explainers
Pages for each metal
Sources
- MAFF, “Survey of lead contained in processed foods (canned fruit, processed ume products, foods for infants and toddlers, etc.)”
- MHLW research grant, Total Diet Study, fiscal 2024, sub-study report (tin intake)
- MHLW, “Partial revision of the standards and specifications for food and additives (leaching of lead and cadmium from utensils and food packaging)” (Notification No. 416, 2008)
- MAFF, “Lead standards set by international organizations and other countries”
- EU Regulation 2023/915 (maximum levels for contaminants in food)
- Blunden S, Wallace T. Food Chem Toxicol 2003 (review of tin in food)（PMID 14563390）
- Japan Canners Association Q&A (storage after opening, tin. The industry group’s explanation)
Last checked 2026.10.03 (against the original government documents and papers, collected and cross-checked in Gemini Notebook).
Heavy metals occur naturally in soil and the sea, and every food contains small amounts. This page lists facts from government surveys, limits and assessments and from published papers; it does not judge any food as good or bad. Where there is official advice — such as on eating fish during pregnancy — follow it.