Cadmium in pasta is a concern because a product can comply with the regulatory limit while still making a meaningful contribution to total exposure. The survey by 60 Millions de consommateurs published in late August 2026 tested 36 products: none exceeded the European limit of 0.18 mg/kg applicable to durum wheat, but cadmium was found in the vast majority of products.

To understand what cadmium in pasta really means, the right approach is therefore not to look only at whether a pack is “compliant.” Its concentration must be compared with the tolerable daily intake used by Anses, namely 0.35 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. This value makes it possible to convert a concentration into a theoretically consumable amount of pasta.

The useful calculation: how many grams per week?

The tolerable daily intake of 0.35 µg/kg/day corresponds to 2.45 µg per kilogram of body weight over one week. Pasta containing 0.071 mg/kg of cadmium contains, after unit conversion, 0.071 µg per gram.

The calculation is then simple: theoretical weekly amount of pasta in grams = 2.45 × consumer’s weight ÷ cadmium concentration of the pasta expressed in µg/g.

With Barilla whole-wheat spaghetti measured at 0.071 mg/kg, the highest level in the comparison, this works out to about 34.5 g of pasta per kilogram of body weight per week. With whole-wheat penne from the same brand, measured at 0.066 mg/kg, the result rises to about 37.1 g/kg of body weight per week.

These figures are purely theoretical ceilings: they assume that pasta alone supplies the entire tolerable amount of cadmium. Yet Anses estimates that, among non-smokers, 98% of cadmium exposure comes from food. In other words, the weekly “budget” is not reserved for pasta: it is shared with everything else we eat.

Child or adult: body weight directly changes the result

The available data do not provide a standard portion weight or a single body weight representing “a child” or “an adult.” Giving a universal number of portions would therefore be misleading. The formula, however, allows an immediate calculation using the person’s actual weight.

  • For spaghetti at 0.071 mg/kg: multiply body weight by 34.5 to obtain the theoretical maximum number of grams per week.
  • For penne at 0.066 mg/kg: multiply body weight by 37.1.
  • To then convert this into portions, divide the result by the usual weight of your own portion.

This explains why children deserve greater attention: at the same concentration, a lighter person reaches the tolerable dose with a smaller absolute amount of food. The EAT3 study published by Anses in February 2026 also indicates that 23% to 27% of children exceed the tolerable daily intake, compared with 1.4% to 1.6% of adults.

Meeting the standard does not mean you can eat unlimited amounts

The European limit of 0.18 mg/kg for durum wheat is far higher than the maximum of 0.071 mg/kg measured in this comparison. But these two figures do not answer the same question. The regulatory limit concerns the concentration in a food; the tolerable intake concerns a person’s exposure according to body weight.

If the same calculation is applied to pasta containing exactly 0.18 mg/kg, the theoretical ceiling would fall to about 13.6 g of product per kilogram of body weight per week, again assuming that this food alone supplies all the tolerable cadmium. This comparison shows why product compliance alone is not enough to define how often it should be eaten.

Whole-wheat, white or organic pasta: what can we really conclude?

The two highest quantified levels in the comparison concern Barilla whole-wheat pasta: 0.066 mg/kg for whole-wheat penne rigate and 0.071 mg/kg for whole-wheat spaghetti. This is a signal worth noting, but it is not proof that all whole-wheat pasta is systematically higher in cadmium than white pasta.

Nor do the available results include a quantified comparison allowing us to state that organic pasta results in greater or lower cadmium exposure. Price or brand is therefore not enough to predict the concentration. A representative of 60 Millions de consommateurs instead highlights the possible importance of the durum wheat growing area, although the published information does not make it possible to derive a general rule that can be applied pack by pack.

The right reflex: do not turn a one-off result into a general rule. Two whole-wheat products top the comparison, but this does not justify labeling all whole-wheat or organic pasta as “more contaminated.”

Should you stop eating pasta? No: reducing overall exposure is better

Completely eliminating pasta is not what the data suggest. More than two-thirds of French people eat it at least once a week, and average consumption was 9.3 kg per person in 2025. The most realistic lever is to avoid allowing the same food to account for too large a share of total exposure.

Dr. Pierre Souvet mentions three approaches in particular: varying the diet, occasionally replacing pasta with chickpeas, and watching for iron deficiency. However, the available data do not provide a quantified table comparing cadmium in rice, potatoes, legumes or other starchy foods. It would therefore be misleading to rank them here from “best” to “worst.”

In practical terms, the most robust approach is therefore the following:

  • look at the measured concentration when it is known rather than relying only on labels such as “organic,” “whole-wheat,” or on price;
  • reason according to the consumer’s body weight, especially for a child;
  • avoid allocating the entire tolerable cadmium budget to a single food;
  • alternate starchy foods and food sources rather than always eating the same product;
  • keep in mind that exposure builds up over time, because cadmium accumulates particularly in the kidneys and bones and is eliminated very slowly.

What the figures really change

The pasta survey is useful less because it reveals the presence of cadmium — already known as a food-related issue — than because it highlights the gap between a limit set for a product and a tolerable dose for a person. These are two different reference points.

The most reasonable interpretation is therefore neither “there is no danger because everything complies” nor “we must stop eating pasta.” For a given product, its concentration can be converted into weekly grams per kilogram of body weight, then treated as a theoretical ceiling that still has to leave room for other foods. This diversification logic is particularly relevant for children, who are already more likely to exceed the tolerable dose in EAT3.