Metal Contaminants explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Regulation 2.1.1 of the Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations, 2011 sets the maximum quantity of metals such as lead, copper, arsenic, tin, cadmium and mercury that a named food may contain. Chemicals described in Indian Pharmacopoeia monographs follow those monographs; every other listed food is tested against one Table. A lab report can be read against it with help from FSSAI compliance support.
This article reads the text as amended up to 14 May 2026 (FSSAI Compendium Version IX dated 03.02.2026, consolidated to the notification of 17 October 2024; the Amendment Regulations, 2026 of 14 May 2026 apply from 1 December 2026). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in.
Regulation 2.1.1 has two clauses. Clause 1 says chemicals described in Indian Pharmacopoeia monographs, when used in foods, shall not contain metal contaminants beyond the limits in those monographs. Clause 2 says no article of food listed in column (2) of the Table shall contain any metal listed in column (1) in excess of the quantity in column (3), stated in parts per million (mg/kg or mg/L). The Table has eleven metals, serial 1 to 11. Entries for lead, arsenic and cadmium change from 1 December 2026. Manufacturers, importers, packers and laboratories are the groups affected.
Regulation 1.1: title and commencement
Regulation 1.1.1 gives the title, the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011. Regulation 1.1.2 says they come into force on or after 5th August, 2011.
Regulation 1.2: definitions
Regulation 1.2.1 prints one definition. "Crop contaminant" means any substance not intentionally added to food, but which gets added to articles of food in the process of production (including operations carried out in crop husbandry, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine), manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food as a result of environmental contamination. The idea matters because the metals in the Table are such contaminants: they are not added on purpose.
Regulation 2.1.1, clause 1: the Indian Pharmacopoeia route
Chemicals described in monographs of the Indian Pharmacopoeia, when used in foods, shall not contain metal contaminants beyond the limits specified in the appropriate monographs for the time being in force. The clause therefore points outside the Regulations for those chemicals. The Table applies "notwithstanding" this clause, so an article that appears in the Table is tested against the Table figure.
Regulation 2.1.1, clause 2: how to read the Table
The Table was substituted by the notification of 7 August 2020 (footnote 15) and amended by the notification of 17 October 2024 (footnote 16). It has three columns.
| Column | Heading | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | Name of metal contaminant | the serial number and the metal |
| (2) | Article of food | the food or ingredient to which the limit applies |
| (3) | Parts per Million (mg/kg or mg/L) | the maximum quantity |
Read an entry by finding the metal, then the food in column (2), then the figure in column (3). A line that carries a unit in the food name, such as "expressed in mg/L" for water, changes the unit for that line. Some figures carry a basis in words, for example "on dry matter basis".
The metals, by serial number as printed: 1 Lead, 2 Copper, 3 Arsenic, 4 Tin, 5 Cadmium, 6 Mercury, 7 Methyl Mercury (calculated as the element), 8 Chromium, 9 Nickel, 10 Selenium, 11 Antimony. Foods are arranged in alphabetical order inside each metal.
Sample entries exactly as printed
| Metal (serial) | Article of food | Limit (mg/kg or mg/L) |
|---|---|---|
| Lead (1) | Agar | 5.0 |
| Arsenic (3) | Agar | 3.0 |
| Tin (4) | Canned fish products | 200 |
| Cadmium (5) | Bivalve Molluscs | 2.0 |
| Mercury (6) | Fish | 0.5 |
| Mercury (6) | Predatory fish (Tuna, Marlin, Sword Fish, Elasmobranch) | 1.0 |
| Methyl Mercury (7) | All foods | 0.25 |
| Chromium (8) | Gelatin | 10 |
The rest of the Table is long and is not reproduced here. Check the Table in the compendium or the Gazette for the exact line that matches your product. Lines such as "Foods not specified" appear under some metals, with the figure printed there, so a product with no named entry may still fall under such a line.
A worked reading
An invented example: Sagar Seafoods packs canned fish. The Tin entry in the Table for "Canned fish products" prints 200 in column (3). A laboratory result for tin is read against that line, in mg/kg. The same plant's bivalve mollusc line is read against the Cadmium entry, which prints 2.0 for "Bivalve Molluscs". The two figures belong to different serial numbers and are not set against each other.
Notified change, in force from 1 December 2026
The Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Amendment Regulations, 2026 (F. No. 01/SP-02/S&S/NotificationContaminants/2021-22, 14 May 2026) say they come into force on 1st December, 2026. Until then the text above is the text. From that date, in regulation 2.1.1 clause 2:
- In the Table, against serial number 1 (Lead), in column (2), for the word "Pulses" the words "Pulses and Pulse flours" are substituted.
- Against serial number 3 (Arsenic), in column (2), the entry "Edible fats and oils (edible fats and oils not covered by individual standards)" becomes the same words with an asterisk symbol added after the bracket.
- Against serial number 5 (Cadmium), in column (2), for "Pulses, excluding soybean dry" the words "Pulses and Pulse flours, excluding soybean dry" are substituted.
- After the Table, a note is inserted: "*Note.- For fish oils, the Maximum level (ML) of inorganic arsenic (As-in) that is 0.1 mg/kg will be applicable. While testing, if the total arsenic concentration is below the ML for inorganic arsenic, no further testing is required, and the sample is determined to be compliant with the ML. If the total arsenic concentration is above the ML for inorganic arsenic, follow-up testing shall be done to determine if the inorganic arsenic concentration is above the ML."
The amendment does not change any figure in column (3) of the Table. It widens the pulse entries to cover pulse flours and attaches the fish oil note to the arsenic entry for edible fats and oils.
Where this sits in the Regulations
Regulation 2.1 is the first technical regulation after the definitions. The next, regulation 2.2.1, covers crop contaminants such as aflatoxins; see our article on aflatoxin and crop contaminants. Fish and fishery products appear again under histamine, explained in our article on histamine in fish. For a general overview see contaminant limits in food: heavy metals and aflatoxins. The Act's rule on contaminants is in section 20 of the FSS Act. Food businesses that need help reading a lab report against the Table can use FSSAI compliance support.
Need help with contaminant limits?
A lab report only helps if it is read against the right Table line, with the right unit and basis. Our FSSAI compliance support service helps manufacturers and importers review reports and prepare product files against regulation 2.1.1.
Key takeaways
- Clause 1 sends Indian Pharmacopoeia chemicals to their monograph limits; clause 2 is the Table for the other foods.
- The Table has eleven metals, serial 1 to 11, with limits in mg/kg or mg/L.
- Read the metal, the food in column (2) and the figure in column (3), noting any unit or basis in words.
- From 1 December 2026 the lead, arsenic and cadmium entries change and a note on fish oils is added after the Table.
Read next
- Regulation 2.2.1: aflatoxin and crop contaminants
- Regulation 2.5.2: histamine in fish
- Contaminant limits in food: heavy metals and aflatoxins
- Section 20, FSS Act: contaminants and naturally occurring toxic substances
Disclaimer: Based on the FSSAI regulations named above as consolidated in FSSAI's compendium versions or as published in the Gazette, with the later notifications the article names (consulted on fssai.gov.in on 2-3 October 2026). Later notifications and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.