The average New Zealand diet poses no chemical residue risk to consumers' health, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) says.
Second quarter results for NZFSA's five-yearly total diet study, which assessed dietary exposure to chemicals, contaminants and nutrients in about 120 commonly eaten foods, were released today.
Testing of the 123 foods sampled in this year's study reinforced indications that the average New Zealand diet posed no health concerns from chemical residues, project manager Cherie Flynn said.
The second quarter of the study looked at 62 nationally available foods.
Of more than 60,000 analyses, only two products would need further investigation.
A tomatoes-in-juice product made from New Zealand and Italian tomatoes had insecticide residues slightly above the maximum residue limit while domestically produced bran flakes had high levels of lead.
NZFSA had notified the manufacturers of the products so they could check their quality controls.
The levels of arsenic and mercury detected in fish and seafood posed no health concerns, Ms Flynn said.
