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Fluoride 1975; 8: 98-105.

Total fluoride intake and fluoride content of common foods: a review.

C.S. Farkas
Man-Environment Studies, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

SUMMARY: In current publications and textbooks most data regarding the fluoride content of common foods as well as tables showing the average daily intake of fluoride in various countries, are based upon work carried out up to thirty-seven years ago. Such work does not allow for the effect of fluoridated drinking water on fluoride levels of processed and cooked foods. Moreover, the accuracy of data due to early testing methods may be questioned. Work done internationally may raise questions regarding identification of foods and relevance to urban type diets. In one table, for example, the fluoride content of cereal is given as < .10 - .20 ppm fluoride based on a range of data compiled from eight sources namely, four from U.S.S.R., three from Germany, and one from Japan. One must question what is meant by "cereal" in this listing and how to relate it to processed products. Data in tables published in the 1970's, citing average fluoride ingestion, were found to be based upon a small sampling. Some figures presented were found to include misquoted data. It must therefore be concluded that data on fluoride content of foods should be updated.

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