Perchlorate Levels in Canadian Retail Foods from 2011-2013

Canadian Food Inspection Agency data details perchlorate contamination in 1,426 food samples collected from retail stores between 2011 and 2013. The survey covers fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, dairy-based products, and infant formulas. It was conducted under the Food Safety Action Plan to generate baseline surveillance data for human health risk assessments.

Use Cases

• Analyze perchlorate concentration trends across food categories like fresh vegetables, juices, and infant formulas.
• Compare contaminant prevalence, such as the 74% detection rate in fresh vegetables versus 23% in juices.
• Model average perchlorate levels for specific commodities like cucumbers (106 ppb) or leafy greens (65 ppb).
• Assess temporal changes by comparing sample results from the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 collection periods.

Strengths

• 1,426 total samples analyzed, providing a substantial sample size for analysis.
• Data covers multiple food categories: 881 fresh produce, 225 juices, 233 dairy products, and 87 infant formulas.
• Specific perchlorate concentration ranges (2-2400 ppb) and detection rates (e.g., 45% non-detect) are provided.

Limitations

• Column names and raw sample-level data are not specified in the provided metadata.
• Data is temporally stale, covering samples collected over a decade ago (2011-2013).
• Geographic scope is limited to the Canadian retail market, limiting international generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Collection Method

Samples collected from Canadian retail stores and analyzed for perchlorate as part of targeted FSAP surveys.

Time Range

April 2011 to March 2013

Freshness

Data covers 2011-2013; metadata last updated in 2026.

Geography

Canada