Abstract: Native alkali products are widely used in daily life in Dali Districe,Yunnan Province. To assess food safety of the products on sale in farmers’ markets, samples were collected from the markets in 10 regions of Dali for analysis of heavy metals, e.g. As, Cd, Hg and Pb. Results show that the samples varied sharply in heavy metal content, with varying in the range of 2.79-3.87mg•kg^-1, for As, Hg of 0.036-0.061mg•kg^-1 for Hg, 0-0.015mg•kg^-1 for Cd and Pb of 0.15-1.16mg•kg^-1 for Pb.  Compared with the criteria of relevant national standards, all the samples exceeded to a varying extent of the standards for heavy metals. However, it was found that EDAs (estimated daily absorption) of As, Hg, Cd and Pb with the products used as food additive were all lower than their respective ADI (acceptable daily intake), suggesting that the potential harm of the products tested to human health is limited. But for the sake of food safety, it is essential to set up environmental quality standard for native alkali products and to intensify management of their production.

Key words: native alkali, heavy metal, quality evaluation, food safety analysis