The aim of this document is to provide food business operators (FBOs), enforcement officers and other
stakeholders with a concise overview of the health hazards of, and sources of exposure to, mercury, lead, cadmium,
tin and arsenic in food. It gives information on methods of sampling and analysis for these contaminants and the
legislative control measures in place to minimise their presence in food. Finally, it provides a short guidance for
FBOs on the risk management measures that they should have in place to control mercury, lead, cadmium, tin and
arsenic in food and also a bibliography giving sources of further information. The summary below gives a short
synopsis of the information, while the following pages provide more technical detail.