The instrument
This page records the heavy-metal maximum levels set by List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods: Part 2: Maximum Levels (incorporated by reference into Division 15 of the Food and Drug Regulations, C.R.C., c. 870), the instrument of Health Canada, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate; enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Every value below is transcribed into the Heavy Metal Index register from the primary text and is the value an HMTc standard cites when this jurisdiction binds a certification limit. It is a record of law, not an HMTc threshold.
Maximum levels
All values µg/kg (ppb), in the basis the instrument states. 3 maximum levels across 2 analytes and 3 product categories, grouped by analyte and ordered by limit.
| Limit µg/kg | Basis | Product scope | Provision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb)1 limit | |||
| 10 | as consumed | Infant formula (all types); two former limits: concentrated/powdered 0.15 ppm and ready-to-serve 0.08 ppm: consolidated into one limit eff | Worldwide-ingest 2026-08-03 (verified). Basis detail: as consumed / ready-to-serve ('as-fed').… |
| Inorganic arsenic (iAs)2 limits | |||
| 30 | as consumed | Grape juice and grape nectar (general food limit) | Worldwide-ingest 2026-08-03 (verified). Basis detail: ready-to-serve / as consumed (beverage as… |
| 100 | product as placed on market | Rice-based foods intended specifically for infants and young children (e.g., infant rice cereal) | Worldwide-ingest 2026-08-03 (verified). Basis detail: the food as such (as placed on market / a… |
Where HMTc cites it
Cells where this instrument holds the strictest government value in force among credible regulators, and therefore binds a published HMTc limit.
A limit recorded above binds nothing today only because another government holds a stricter value for every published cell. It may still bind later, as other jurisdictions relax or as a new subcategory is published.
How this interacts with HMTc
HMTc certification standards adopt the strictest existing maximum level set by any credible government, applied cell-by-cell. Where this instrument holds the strictest value for a (product, analyte) cell, it binds the HMTc limit and the standard cites this page. This page does not set or justify any HMTc threshold; it records the sovereign requirement the program measures against.
A reference page is a record of law, not an HMTc threshold. It states what a government requires; the standard page states what the program requires, and names which instrument binds each cell.