National Food Agency about high level of lead in some products

The National Food Agency (NFA) of Georgia speaks about the high level of lead in some Georgian products, including raw milk and spices.

The NFA says from 1176 taken samples, a high level of lead was found only in 23 cases.

The agency added that the lead content does not exceed the norm in baby food, fish, bread products, cereals and vegetables.

According to the NFA, in 2018, in the accredited laboratory, 1176 samples were examined, including 82 samples of milk and dairy products, meat products - 335, fish and fish products - 47, eggs - 68, children's food - 48, spices - 137 , Honey - 11, drinks – 108 and 340 samples of bread products, cereals and vegetables.

“Out of all samples, high level of lead has been revealed in 23 samples, which makes up 2% of the total number of samples,” the agency reports.

NFA says in comparison with past years, high content of lead has not been found in meat samples.

“The inconsistency with the established norms was found in 15 samples of the raw milk and 8 samples of spices, which was 33 in 2017. Relevant services had been informed about the violations and the NFA will remove these products from sales,” the statement reads.

Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal that concentrates in blood and can cause poisoning. It is usually found in food, petrol, construction materials, and industrial paint, and can also be found in toys, furniture, ceramic dishware, and in jewelry containing leaded paint.

Chronic exposure to lead can result in damage to internal organs and the nervous system and can be especially harmful to pregnant women.

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), one of the largest household surveys worldwide, was launched in Georgia in September 2018 to check the quality of water and examine the prevalence of lead in children's blood.