France, April 1 -- Anses, France's public health agency, said last week that people in France are overexposed to cadmium through food.

It added that organic farming could be "potentially just as impacted as conventional agriculture" because some fertilisers allowed in organic systems may contain the toxic metal.

The National Federation of Organic Agriculture (FNAB), which represents organic farmers, has rejected that conclusion and called on the agency to correct what it described as "factual errors".

Daily newspaper Le Monde also found that some studies suggesting lower cadmium levels in organic crops were not taken into account in the agency's public communication.

Cadmium is a known carcinogen, linked to cancers and bone disea...