Clinical Pharmacist and Master’s student in Clinical Pharmacy with research interests in pharmacovigilance, behavioral interventions in mental health, and AI applications in clinical decision support. Experience includes digital health research with Bloomsbury Health (London) and pharmacovigilance practice in patient support programs. Published work covers drug awareness among healthcare providers, postpartum depression management, and patient safety reporting. 
Clinical Pharmacist and Master’s student in Clinical Pharmacy with research interests in pharmacovigilance, behavioral interventions in mental health, and AI applications in clinical decision support. Experience includes digital health research with Bloomsbury Health (London) and pharmacovigilance practice in patient support programs. Published work covers drug awareness among healthcare providers, postpartum depression management, and patient safety reporting. What was studied
This study measured aluminium content in foods to update exposure-relevant data for risk assessment and compliance, focusing on plant-based foods, processed foods, and beverages commonly sold in Germany. Using 1,431 market and industry samples collected through routine official controls, the authors quantified aluminium across product groups (e.g., flours, baking premixes, breads, pastas, herb teas, cocoa powder, chocolate, confectionery, beers, juices, wines, mineral waters, and ready meals in aluminium trays). The work was explicitly motivated by the lowered health-based guidance value for aluminium intake (PTWI 1 mg/kg body weight/week) and the need to estimate how real-world concentrations and consumption patterns could drive consumers toward that limit. The paper also distinguishes unavoidable “primary” aluminium (natural uptake from soils) from “secondary” aluminium (additives, processing equipment, and food-contact materials), which is central for a certification program that must separate intrinsic background from preventable contamination while tracking aluminium content in foods across high-risk categories.
Who was studied
No human participants were enrolled. The “subjects” were food and beverage samples drawn primarily from Hessian enterprises (mills, bakeries) and retail markets, collected within governmental inspection programs. The sample set covered a broad, exposure-oriented snapshot: 65 flours, 37 baking premixes, 107 breads, 60 loaf-shaped yeast fruit cakes, 38 pastries in aluminium trays, 185 salted pretzels/savoury biscuits, 24 pastas, 12 herb teas, 37 cocoa powders, 84 chocolates, 115 confectioneries, 50 malts, 237 beers (bottled/draught/canned), 59 fruit juices/juice beverages, 65 wines/fruit wines, 171 mineral/spring waters, 31 ready-cooked meals in aluminium trays, 16 soups, and 38 “diverse products” (including baby food and soy products). Aluminium was quantified primarily by ICP-MS after standardized digestion, with method validation and reference materials to support accuracy. Because only non-animal foods and beverages were analyzed, the dataset best represents market-side aluminium content in foods where plant matrices, cocoa, and processing/contact surfaces are plausible drivers.
Most important findings
Across all products, aluminium concentrations ranged from 0.4 up to 737 mg/kg (or mg/L), but most samples were low: 77.8% were under 10 mg/kg, while a small tail contained very high values—exactly the kind of distribution HMTC programs must manage with targeted risk-based sampling rather than simple averages.
| Critical point | Details |
|---|---|
| Most foods were low, but “high-end outliers” exist | Overall range was 0.4–737 mg/kg (or mg/L). While 77.8% of all samples were <10 mg kg, 4.6% exceeded 100 creating a small but important compliance and exposure tail.< td> |
| Additives can dominate aluminium signals in specific products | Two baking premixes contained extremely high aluminium (566 and 737 mg/kg) attributed to added sodium aluminium sulphate; these were produced for export but mistakenly circulated locally—illustrating how formulation controls and COA verification can prevent certification failures. |
| Cocoa and chocolate were among the highest natural/processing-associated sources | Cocoa powder showed very high aluminium (mean 165 mg/kg; median 160 mg/kg). Chocolate was also high (up to 150 mg/kg), plausibly driven by cocoa fraction; additives were not permitted for cocoa powder, pointing to soil/ingredient sourcing plus possible equipment contributions. |
| Food-contact aluminium packaging looked minor in most cases, but baking surfaces matter | Cakes/ready meals in aluminium trays were mostly <10 mg kg, supporting the authors’ conclusion that migration from trays cans is generally negligible. in contrast, salted pretzels savoury biscuits sometimes exceeded “generally accepted” <10 kg benchmark (up to 218 kg), consistent with avoidable aluminium baking unless coated or separated (e.g., paper).< td> |
| Exposure modeling highlights specific “PTWI-relevant” items | Using consumption scenarios, the PTWI could be reached primarily with large amounts of chocolate; based on maximum chocolate concentrations, PTWI could be reached with ~467 g/week for adults and ~201 g/week for children, underscoring why cocoa/chocolate deserves routine certification attention. |
Key implications
For HMTC-style regulation, aluminium content in foods should be managed with risk-based category standards that distinguish primary (soil/ingredient) from secondary (additives, equipment, contact surfaces) sources, because extreme values can be formulation-driven and preventable. Certification requirements should prioritize cocoa powder, chocolate, herb teas, baking premixes, and high-salt baked goods where migration is technically avoidable, while treating most beverages and tray-packed ready meals as lower risk in typical conditions. Industry applications include supplier qualification for cocoa and premix ingredients, additive/spec sheet audits to prevent aluminium-containing leavening agents where not intended, and verified controls for baking surfaces (coatings, barriers). Research gaps include broader coverage of animal-derived foods and additional staples to complete total diet exposure. Practical recommendations are to set category action limits, require batch testing for high-risk groups, and document process/contact-material controls.
Citation
Stahl T, Taschan H, Brunn H. Aluminium content of selected foods and food products. Environ Sci Eur. 2011;23:37. doi:10.1186/2190-4715-23-37 2190-4715-23-37
Aluminum is a pervasive metal found in a wide range of consumer products, from food packaging and cookware to medications and personal care items. Although often overlooked, aluminum exposure can accumulate over time, posing long-term health risks, especially to vulnerable populations like infants, children, and individuals with kidney conditions.
