Breads & Buns
10,161 products, 3 with published lab results.
Typical levels
What FDA found when it bought and tested this kind of food around the US.
- Cadmium: typically 27.5 ppb (FDA, 108 samples, 2017-2020).
A toddler reaches EPA's daily limit at about 540 g (19 oz) a day; an adult at about 2.5 kg (5.5 lb).One serving (100 g (3½ oz)):18% of a toddler's daily limit4% of a adult's daily limit
- Arsenic (total): typically 6.18 ppb (FDA, 108 samples, 2017-2020). No US agency limit we can cite.
- Perchlorate: typically 2.83 ppb (FDA, 60 samples, 2008-2012).
A toddler reaches EPA's daily limit at about 3 kg (6.6 lb) a day; an adult at about 14 kg (31 lb).One serving (100 g (3½ oz)):3% of a toddler's daily limitunder 1% of a adult's daily limit
- Lead, Mercury: usually below 4 ppb, the lab's limit, in FDA's samples.
FDA samples behind these numbers
- Lead in Bread, white roll/bun (hamburger/hotdog): found in 5 of 27, average 0.91, highest 6.7 ppb (2017-2020)
- Lead in Bread, white, enriched, pre-sliced: found in 9 of 27, average 2.28, highest 23 ppb (2017-2020)
- Lead in Bread, whole wheat, pre-sliced: found in 20 of 27, average 3.88, highest 7.3 ppb (2017-2020)
- Lead in English muffin, plain, toasted: found in 3 of 27, average 0.79, highest 9.7 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Bread, white roll/bun (hamburger/hotdog): found in 27 of 27, average 24.6, highest 37 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Bread, white, enriched, pre-sliced: found in 27 of 27, average 27.4, highest 37 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Bread, whole wheat, pre-sliced: found in 27 of 27, average 29.9, highest 42 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in English muffin, plain, toasted: found in 27 of 27, average 28.6, highest 39 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Bread, white roll/bun (hamburger/hotdog): found in 0 of 27, all below 1 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Bread, white, enriched, pre-sliced: found in 0 of 27, all below 1 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Bread, whole wheat, pre-sliced: found in 0 of 27, all below 1 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in English muffin, plain, toasted: found in 1 of 27, average 0.04, highest 1 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Bread, white roll/bun (hamburger/hotdog): found in 27 of 27, average 5.74, highest 9.3 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Bread, white, enriched, pre-sliced: found in 26 of 27, average 5.06, highest 9 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Bread, whole wheat, pre-sliced: found in 27 of 27, average 10.3, highest 18 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in English muffin, plain, toasted: found in 26 of 27, average 5.06, highest 10 ppb (2017-2020)
- Perchlorate in Bread, white, enriched: found in 12 of 20, average 2.55, highest 9 ppb (2008-2012)
- Perchlorate in Bread, whole wheat: found in 15 of 20, average 2.7, highest 7 ppb (2008-2012)
- Perchlorate in English muffin, plain, toasted: found in 15 of 20, average 5.36, highest 34.6 ppb (2008-2012)
"Typically" is FDA's middle sample. Daily amounts use the long-run average and each chemical's daily limit (EPA reference dose, or FDA's level for lead) for a 33-lb toddler and a 154-lb adult. ppb = micrograms per kilogram of food. Source: FDA Total Diet Study.
Tested products
Median of each product's samples, in ppb (parts per billion), counting samples below the lab's limit. “<10” means the median is below the lab's limit of 10; “–” means not tested for that chemical.
| Product | DEHP | DBP | DIBP | BBP | DEP | DMP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boudin Sourdough Bread | 11 | <10 | <10 | <5 | 21.9 | <5 |
| Tartine Sourdough Bread | <10 | <10 | <10 | <5 | <10 | <5 |
| Whole Foods Sourdough Bread | 20 | <10 | <10 | <5 | <10 | <5 |