Cadmium content in the product
Level: Spearhead
Cadmium that accumulates in the ground can pose long-term health and environmental risks. Cadmium can be absorbed by the root systems of the plants and introduced to arable land through air pollution or commercial fertilisers. Digested sludge and livestock effluents can also contribute to the introduction of cadmium to arable land.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 10373:1
- Group:
- Cereals and other grain products
- Swedish:
Criterion text
The cadmium content of non-compound products made of raw wheat and/or oats must not exceed 0.1 mg/kg wet weight.1
1"Wet weight" refers to 12% water content after drying.
Verification
Upon request, the supplier shall be ready to present one of the following, for example:
- Certification system that meets the above validation requirements, e.g. Svenskt Sigill (Swedish Seal of Quality)
- Supplier declaration
Information about the criterion
Observe that the criterion is appropriate for non-compound products. In compound products it may be difficult to verify that the requirement is fulfilled.
Environmental goals
Motive
Today, cereal products, mainly wheat, are one of the most common sources of cadmium intake for the Swedish (non-smoking) population. It is estimated that nearly 50% of all cadmium in plant foods comes from wheat flour and other cereal products. Cadmium is stored in or adjacent to the bran part and the germ in the wheat kernel and, therefore, whole grain or coarser flours contain higher levels of cadmium than finer wheat flour. All crops do not absorb cadmium in equal measures. Rye, for example, absorbs less than wheat. In addition to differences between species, even different varieties of the same species can have different uptakes. In general, spring wheat has a higher uptake than winter wheat.
The regulated threshold value for cadmium is 0,2 mg/kg for wheat, bran and germ and 0,1 mg/kg for other cereals. The threshold aims at minimizing the cadmium content and are based on the rules for Integrated Production (IP).
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 10373:1
- Version date
- 2016-12-16
2016-12-16: Changed level from core to spearhead