Developed, produced and tested in our own laboratory in Belgium.
Heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides: what we watch for, which limits apply, and how we deliver on it. Plus a fresh FAQ.
European legislation sets clear upper limits. For us that is are the floor, not the goal: where reasonably possible, we aim lower (the ALARA principle, Reg. (EC) 315/93).
Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic can end up naturally in soil and plants. Because some can accumulate in the body, we test every finished product against the statutory maxima for food supplements from Reg. (EU) 2023/915 — with margin to spare.
| Heavy metal | Legal maximum — food supplements |
|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | 3.0 mg/kg |
| Cadmium (Cd) | 1.0 mg/kg* |
| Mercury (Hg) | 0.10 mg/kg |
| Inorganic arsenic (As) | ≤ 3 mg/kg** |
*3.0 mg/kg for supplements consisting mainly of dried seaweed or bivalve molluscs. For arsenic there is no separate supplement limit; the purity criteria for added substances (Reg. (EU) 231/2012) use up to 3 mg/kg as the upper limit. We structurally aim lower.
For plant protection products, European maximum residue levels (MRLs) apply per substance and per crop, laid down in Reg. (EC) 396/2005 and the EU pesticides database. Where no specific MRL exists for a substance, the strictest standard applies: the default limit of 0.01 mg/kg. Analyses are carried out in accredited labs with LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS, down to ppb level (billionths).
Herbicides — including glyphosate — fall under the same MRL system of Reg. (EC) 396/2005. Here too: a crop-specific MRL where one exists, and otherwise the default limit of 0.01 mg/kg. Our starting point remains the precautionary principle — where there is reasonable doubt we do not wait for a ban.
Our production at Cosmofarma runs through the Informed programme, which screens production against the WADA prohibited list. For elite athletes we always additionally advise a batch-by-batch check.
Short, honest and without woolly tables. Click a question open.
Behind every formula stands one promise: you are the HOST of your microbiome, and we keep that inner ecosystem clean.
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