Kimchi cabbage, a type of cabbage and a main ingredient of Kimchi, a fermented Asian dish, is widely cultivated and the most popular Brassica vegetable in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a good source of nutrients but it is prone to be contaminated with  toxic elements such as lead and cadmium from fertilizer, contaminated agricultural soil and water. Many countries set food safety regulations limiting the amount of toxic elements in agricultural products. With increasing international trade of food and agricultural products, traceable measurements of hazardous elements in agricultural products have become one of the essential requirements for ensuring food safety. Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) also set maximum levels of contaminants in food and feed to protect public health. In case of cadmium and lead in Brassica vegetable the maximum level is 0.05 mg/kg and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively.

Reference values certified by KRISS for cadmium and lead in the test sample were used as the assigned values for evaluating measurement results of participants. The relevant Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMCs) of KRISS are registered in the Key Comparison Data Base (KCDB) of the Comité International des Poids et Mesures (CIPM, International Committee for Weights and Measures) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).