Heavy Metals Testing in Food in India
Heavy metal contamination in food is one of the most consequential failure modes in Indian food testing — a single lead, cadmium, or arsenic exceedance can trigger an FSSAI recall, an EU border rejection, or a marketplace delisting that wipes out months of working capital. Auriga Research delivers NABL-accredited heavy metals testing in food using ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) — detection limits in parts-per-trillion, well below FSSAI Maximum Limits — across five ICP-MS instruments distributed across our five regional laboratories.
Mandatory heavy metal testing in India is governed by the FSS (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations 2011, with stricter category-specific limits applied to infant foods, infant formula, and baby cereals. Our scope covers lead, cadmium, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic speciation by HPLC-ICP-MS for rice and seafood, total and methylmercury for fish, tin for canned foods, hexavalent chromium speciation, and 20+ element multi-element screening on a single CoA.
Backed by the Arbro Group's analytical heritage — Arbro Lab since 1990, Auriga Research since 2007 — with NABL ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, our reports support FSSAI licensing, EIC export documentation, and EU Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 compliance — with optional Codex CXS 193 dual reporting in the same NABL-accredited certificate.
Heavy Metals Testing Parameters
Each parameter is mapped to its analytical method and the regulatory limit it supports — so QA, regulatory, and export teams can match scope to compliance requirement at a glance.
Lead (Pb)
Lead by ICP-MS. FSSAI limits range from 0.02 mg/kg (milk, infant formula) to 3.0 mg/kg depending on category; EU 2023/915 generally stricter.
Cadmium (Cd)
Cadmium by ICP-MS. FSSAI limits 0.05 to 1.0 mg/kg; key for cocoa products, leafy vegetables, kidney, and shellfish.
Total Arsenic (As)
Total arsenic by ICP-MS — first-pass screening across all food categories.
Inorganic Arsenic Speciation
Inorganic arsenic (iAs) speciation by HPLC-ICP-MS — separates and quantifies toxic arsenite and arsenate forms in rice, seafood, and infant rice products. FSSAI limit 0.2 mg/kg (rice), 0.1 mg/kg (infant rice food).
Mercury (Hg)
Total mercury by cold-vapour AAS or ICP-MS — critical for seafood (especially tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel).
Methylmercury in Fish
Methylmercury speciation by GC-AFS / HPLC-ICP-MS — the toxicologically relevant mercury form for fish and seafood.
Tin (Sn) in Canned Foods
Tin by ICP-OES — FSSAI 200 mg/kg limit for canned foods (250 mg/kg for canned beverages).
Copper & Zinc
Copper and zinc by ICP-MS — for infant formula nutrient verification and dietary supplement claim substantiation.
Chromium incl. Hexavalent
Total chromium by ICP-MS and hexavalent chromium (Cr VI) speciation for water and food matrices.
Multi-Element Screening
20+ elements in a single ICP-MS run — including Al, Ba, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, V — for comprehensive product safety profiling.
EU Compliance Reporting
Dual reporting against EU Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 maximum levels — replaced the older Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 in May 2023.
Codex CXS 193
Reporting against the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CXS 193-1995) for international buyer documentation.
How It Works
Get a Quote
Share your product type and the parameters you need tested. Your dedicated SPOC will confirm the testing scope, the applicable method, and the exact sample quantity required for your specific panel before you dispatch anything.
Send Your Sample
Dispatch your sample with a completed Test Request Form to the nearest Auriga lab. Each sample is individually bar coded and registered in YLIMS, Auriga's in-house Laboratory Information Management System, upon receipt. Testing begins within 24 hours of sample registration.
Testing and QA Review
Your sample is tested against the confirmed validated method by Auriga's scientific team. Every result passes through a formal internal QA review and sign-off before the report is generated.
Receive Your NABL Report
Your NABL-accredited test report is delivered digitally within the committed turnaround time. Reports carry Auriga's NABL accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and are accepted by FSSAI, APEDA, EIC, and major international buyers. You can track your sample status in real time through YLIMS at any point in the process.
Turnaround Time
| Panel | Standard TAT | Express |
|---|---|---|
| Standard heavy metals panel (Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Sn) by ICP-MS | 5–7 business days | Available (3 days) |
| Multi-element screening (20+ elements, single ICP-MS run) | 5–7 business days | Available |
| Inorganic arsenic speciation by HPLC-ICP-MS (rice, seafood) | 7–10 business days | On request |
| Methylmercury speciation in fish (GC-AFS) | 7–10 business days | On request |
| Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI) speciation | 7–10 business days | On request |
| Dual FSSAI + EU 2023/915 + Codex CXS 193 compliance report | + 2 business days over standard | On request |
Who Needs This Testing
- Packaged food brands needing FSSAI batch release and surveillance compliance under the FSS (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations 2011.
- Rice exporters meeting EU and Codex inorganic arsenic limits — quantitative iAs speciation by HPLC-ICP-MS is the destination-market default.
- Spice and condiment exporters shipping to EU, US, and GCC markets where lead and cadmium are the leading rejection causes.
- Seafood exporters managing mercury and methylmercury limits for tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, shark, and high-mercury bioaccumulating species.
- Infant formula and baby food manufacturers — the strictest FSSAI heavy metal limits apply to this category (lead 0.02 mg/kg, iAs 0.05 mg/kg EU).
- D2C food and beverage brands launching on Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, Zepto, and BigBasket where an analyst-verified heavy metals panel is now a listing prerequisite.
- FSSAI surveillance respondents needing an NABL-accredited counter-report to contest a Form-IX notice or product hold.
- Dietary supplement and nutraceutical brands verifying contaminant levels in herbal extracts, minerals, and protein powders.
Why Auriga for Heavy Metals Testing
NABL-accredited ICP-MS
Detection limits in parts-per-trillion well below every FSSAI, EU, and Codex Maximum Limit — accredited under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for the full heavy metals scope.
Five ICP-MS instruments across five labs
Distributed ICP-MS capacity across Delhi, Gurugram, Bangalore, Baddi, and Bahadurgarh means lower courier risk for time-critical export shipments and faster turnaround during FSSAI surveillance peaks.
FSSAI + EU 2023/915 + Codex limits in one report
CoA reports against the FSS (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations 2011, EU Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915, and Codex CXS 193 in a single document — domestic and export compliance confirmed in one round.
Arsenic speciation by HPLC-ICP-MS in-house
Inorganic arsenic speciation for rice and seafood is run in-house — required for credible EU compliance on basmati exports and infant rice products.
Multi-element screening on the same instrument
20+ elements in a single ICP-MS run — the regulated five plus Al, Ba, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, V — useful for supplements, herbal extracts, and FBO surveillance programmes.
Arbro Group analytical heritage
Established analytical heritage through the Arbro Group (Arbro Lab since 1990, Auriga Research since 2007), with NABL ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation — the audit trail FSSAI, EIC, and international buyers look for.