Heavy metals in food databaseVegetables, tubers and teaChecked 2026.10.03
Spinach: cadmium, lead
Spinach is one of the domestic vegetables that show relatively high cadmium, lead, and total arsenic. In a MAFF survey (fiscal 2009–10, 600 samples), cadmium averaged 0.06 and peaked at 0.59 mg/kg. Lead varies by survey year, and differences in the limit of quantification need attention.
Levels measured in Japanese government surveys and studies
| Metal | Form / state | Mean | Range / max | Samples | Survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium | Total cadmium, edible part (after harvest) | 0.06 (median 0.05) | max 0.59 | 600 samples | MAFF, fiscal 2009–10 |
| Lead | Total lead | 0.01 | max 0.07 | 120 samples (61 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2015 |
| Lead | Total lead | 0.02 | max 0.11 | 300 samples (178 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2008 |
| Lead | Total lead | 0.01–0.06 | max 0.34 | 100 samples (89 below the limit of quantification) | MAFF, fiscal 2003–05 |
| Arsenic | Total arsenic | 0.01 | max 0.12 | 160 samples | MAFF, fiscal 2003–05 |
Units are mg/kg (= ppm), the fresh edible part. The limit of quantification for lead differs by survey (0.05 in fiscal 2003–05, 0.02 in fiscal 2008, 0.01 in fiscal 2015). A range such as “0.01–0.06” 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.
Limits (Japan, international, EU)
| Set by | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (Food Sanitation Act) | No standard for cadmium, lead, or arsenic | The cadmium standard covers only rice and mineral waters |
| Codex (international standards) | Cadmium, leafy vegetables 0.2 / lead, leafy vegetables 0.3 (excluding spinach) | Spinach is excluded from the leafy vegetable limit for lead |
| EU (Regulation 2023/915) | Cadmium, spinach and similar 0.20 (other leafy vegetables 0.10) / lead, leafy vegetables 0.30 | — |
Good to know
- Cadmium averages 0.06, with a median of 0.05, a 95th percentile of 0.15, and a maximum of 0.59 mg/kg. As a reference using another country’s yardstick, 97.5% of samples were 0.19 or below, so the share exceeding the EU’s limit of 0.20 would be under 2.5%. Japan has no standard.
- The maximum for lead appears to fall from 0.34 (fiscal 2003–05) to 0.11 (fiscal 2008) to 0.07 (fiscal 2015), but the limit of quantification changed from 0.05 to 0.02 to 0.01. Care is needed when comparing years.
- Total arsenic has the highest maximum among vegetables at 0.12 (average 0.01), but the values are an order of magnitude lower than for rice or seaweed.
- MAFF’s estimate (2016) is that about 90% of cadmium intake comes from seven items (rice, wheat, soybeans, potatoes, spinach, onions, and carrots), and spinach is one of them.
- Japan’s cadmium standard covers only rice and mineral waters. The Consumer Affairs Agency says that for foods other than rice, intake is small and setting a standard would have little reducing effect, so it responds with measures at the production stage and surveys of actual levels.
- No Japanese public test values were found on how much cadmium or lead falls with washing, boiling, or soaking in water.
Related explainers
Pages for each metal
Sources
- MAFF, “Survey of cadmium in domestic agricultural products (fiscal 2009–14)”
- MAFF, cadmium survey data (attachment, agricultural products, Table 3.3)
- MAFF, “Survey of lead contained in agricultural products”
- MAFF, “Survey of arsenic contained in food”
- MAFF, “Lead standards set by international organizations and other countries”
- Consumer Affairs Agency, “Q&A on cadmium in food”
- EU Regulation 2023/915 (maximum levels for contaminants in food)
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.