Lead

Lead is an undesirable contaminant of food because of a number of harmful effects it has on health.

Maximum permitted levels of lead in fish and fishery products are listed below.

Seafood	Maximum Permitted Level (mg/kg wet weight)
Muscle meat of fish, or whole fish when the fish is intended to be eaten whole	0.30
Crustaceans: muscle meat from appendages and abdomen. In the case of crabs and crab-like crustaceans (Brachyura and Anomura) muscle meat from appendages	0.50
Bivalve molluscs	1.5
Cephalopods (without viscera)	1.0

The relevant regulation in England, Scotland and Wales is assimilated EU Regulation 1881/2006 as amended by The Contaminants in Food (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. In Northern Ireland the relevant regulation is Regulation (EU) 2023/915.